Miller and Lester Were Almost a Perfect Pair

Shelby Miller gave up a leadoff hit, but then set down the next 27 Rockies hitters in order. (Dilip Vishwanat)

Tonight, St. Louis’ Shelby Miller and Boston’s Jon Lester did something no pair of pitchers have done on the same night in the history of baseball. They each threw a one-hit, no-walk, complete-game shutout. The only hit Miller allowed was a leadoff single by the Rockies’ Eric Young, Jr. Lester bid for perfection lasted until the sixth inning when the Blue Jays’ Maicer Izturis hit a double.

Let's compare the two superb performances. Miller's outing is really unique in that after giving up that leadoff single, he retired the next 27 hitters. This is really as close to a no-hitter as you possibly can be. After the leadoff single, he threw a no-hitter. That's impressive to say the least. However, that is not all that is impressive about Miller's performance. He also stuck out 13 batters and maintained his velocity of up to 93 mph throughout his 113 pitches. That is how dominant Miller was. Finally, his opponent, the Rockies, are the NL’s highest-scoring team.

Lester’s one-hitter is his first shutout since 2008. This is an encouraging sign for Red Sox fans that the lefty might be regaining that top form. On paper, Lester was not as dominant as Miller. He only five struck out five batters. Instead, Lester relied on his infield for a total of 12 ground-ball outs. Both pitchers benefitted from getting ahead in the count. In fact, both pitchers threw first-pitch strikes to 21 of the 28 batters they faced.

You might be wondering how rare of an occurrence is it for two pitchers to throw one-hitters on the same night. It has only happened three other times since the turn of the century.

May 25, 2001: The Cubs’ Kerry Wood and the Red Sox’ Hideo Nomo each threw a complete-game, one-hit shutout on the same night. Both pitchers struck out 14 batters. Wood walked two hitters, while Nomo did not issue any walks.

April 26, 2002: The Dodgers’ Odalis Perez and the Mets’ Shawn Estes both threw complete-game, one-hit shutouts on the same night as well. Perez did not walk any batters, while Estes allowed just one walk.

June 16, 2012: The Orioles’ Jason Hammel and the Angels' Ervin Santana each threw a complete-game, one-hit shutout on the same night. Hammel issued two walks, while Santana only walked one batter.

As you can now see, Miller and Lester share a unique bond that only a handful of major league pitchers have ever shared. There is one statistic that distinguishes them above the rest. Neither one of them walked a single batter. Miller and Lester can say that they are the only pair of pitchers to throw one-hit, no-walk, complete-game shutouts on the same night.

Oswalt Pitches into the Seventh in Rangers Debut

Veteran Roy Oswalt was effective in his Rangers' debut. (Rick Yeatts)

Roy Oswalt was one of this past offseason's most intriguing free agents. His injury history and inconsistency scared away some teams. But there were still plenty teams looking for a potential Oswalt rental for the latter part of this season. Due to injuries, the Texas Rangers had an opening in their rotation. They expressed their interest to Oswalt and his agent. The interest turned out to be mutual as Oswalt signed a deal to join the Rangers on May 29.

Following four rehab starts, Oswalt made his Rangers debut last night against the Colorado Rockies. The start was his first major league start in more than eight months. The Rangers offense helped support him from the onset. A home run by Adrian Beltre, a double by Nelson Cruz, and a homer by Mike Napoli, helped build a 4-0 lead. Oswalt did the rest from there. He pitched effectively into the seventh. While Oswalt did allow nine hits, he limited the damage well enough with just one walk and six strikeouts. Oswalt did run into some trouble in the seventh inning. He served up a double to Marco Scutaro, which drove home Dexter Fowler. That was the end of Oswalt's debut as a Ranger.

The Rangers did go on to win the game 4-1. Despite the long stretch of time off, Oswalt pitched quite well. Granted, the start was against the Rockies. A Rockies team that has lost thirteen of their last fifteen games. Additionally, the Rockies offensive struggles away from Coors Field have been well documented. Still, the start had to be encouraging for Oswalt and the Rangers. It will be interesting to see whether or not he will be able to regain his top form and stay healthy throughout the remainder of this season.

Ageless Moyer Makes Rockies' Rotation

When Jaime Moyer missed all of last season due to Tommy John surgery, many thought that it would be the end of his incredible career. However, Moyer rehabbed and signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies to see if he could make their rotation. The 49 year-old found out that he did just that today. In fact, he gained the #2 spot in the rotation. This season Moyer will gain the opportunity to become the oldest pitcher to earn a victory in MLB history. He earned the rotation spot due in part to a great Spring Training, where he posted a 2.77 ERA.

Moyer will be entering his 25th major league season. He made his big league debut June 16, 1986 with the Chicago Cubs. Moyer has a career record of 267-204 with a 4.24 ERA. He was an All Star in 2003. Moyer will turn 50 in November. He is one of only 29 players to play in major league games in four decades. Moyer has been honored with numerous philanthropic and community service awards.

Moyer seems to be able to simply defy Father Time. He has never been a dominating pitcher, but he has been as consistent an inning-eater as there has been in major league history. On April 7, Moyer is scheduled to make his first start for the Colorado Rockies, a club that didn't even exist when he debuted in 1986. His crafty style still manages to deceive hitters, despite his fastball only being thrown in the 70s. Many might doubt Moyer will have success this season, but he has already overcome so much to make the rotation. I wouldn't be surprised by anything when it comes to Moyer at this point.