Tag Archives: Lance Lynn

20 Mar

give him the ball

Lance Lynn appears to be making strides on his comeback trail. The Ole Miss product, who missed 2016 after Tommy John surgery, threw five shutout innings for St. Louis against Atlanta on Sunday, reducing his ERA this spring to 1.29 in 14 innings over four starts. He wasn’t razor sharp vs. the Braves, but the big right-hander did what he does: He battled. Lynn, who won 60 games for the Cardinals from 2012-15, made at least 29 starts and threw at least 175 innings in each of those seasons. He told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he expects nothing less in 2017. “If you set yourself below that,” he said, “why take the ball?” The Cardinals in general should be angry birds. They missed the postseason last year, snapping a streak going back to 2010, and then watched the rival Chicago Cubs win it all. Lynn, who’ll turn 30 in May, may also be motivated by the fact he is eligible for free agency after this season. P.S. Joey Butler – remember him? – got a hit in his lone at-bat on Sunday for Washington, which had summoned the Pascagoula native from minor league camp. Butler, 31 and now with his fifth organization, batted .276 with eight homers for Tampa Bay in 2015 but spent all of 2016 in Triple-A with Cleveland. He might get stuck there again with the Nationals.

11 Nov

looking ahead

Can’t feel too bad for Lance Lynn, who had Tommy John surgery on Tuesday. He will make a reported $7.5 million in 2016 while not pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals. The crucial year for the former Ole Miss standout will be 2017, the final year of his current $22M contract. Lynn, who just finished his eighth pro season, has been a durable starter for the Cardinals the last four years, topping 200 innings twice and going at least 175 in the other two. And he has been a winner (61-39 career mark) on some very good teams. Many pitchers bounce back strong from Tommy John surgery. But some don’t. And Lynn will turn 30 in May of 2017. P.S. The Milwaukee Brewers’ new chart of top 10 prospects, as ranked by Baseball America, is flush with 2015 Biloxi Shuckers stars. Included: Shortstop Orlando Arcia (No. 1), right-hander Jorge Lopez (No. 2) and outfielders Brett Phillips and Tyrone Taylor.

08 Aug

going into battle

The St. Louis Cardinals’ lineup doesn’t blow you away with star power, and their pitching staff has been without its ace, Adam Wainwright, all season. And yet here they are with 70 wins, most in the majors. They’re a playoff contender every year. What the Cardinals do is battle, every inning, every game, every season. Case in point: Former Ole Miss star Lance Lynn on Friday night at Milwaukee. Lynn didn’t have command of his fastball, which he relies on heavily. He allowed six hits and four walks in six innings. But he didn’t allow a Brewer to cross the plate. He battled, and St. Louis won 6-0. Milwaukee had two runners on in three of the first four innings and the bases loaded in the sixth. Lynn got out of that final mess with a strikeout, his seventh of the game. “With runners in scoring position, I was able to make a pitch,” the big right-hander told The Associated Press. Lynn, who missed some time with an injury this year, is 9-6 with a 2.76 ERA. He has 136 K’s in 127 1/3 innings. He has won 57 games since moving into the St. Louis rotation in 2012, throwing mostly fastballs. And battling.

04 Oct

been there, done that

Lance Lynn, the former Ole Miss standout, gets the ball tonight for St. Louis with a chance to drop the hammer on the Los Angeles Dodgers. After their stunning comeback against Clayton Kershaw at Dodger Stadium on Friday, the Cardinals are up 1-0 in the National League Division Series. If they head back to St. Louis with a 2-0 lead in the best-of-5, it’s all but over. Lynn, who went 15-10, 2.74 ERA this season, faced LA twice in 2014. In a July 18 game at Busch Stadium, he beat them, allowing just four hits and two runs over six innings. In a June 28 game in Dodger Stadium, he didn’t fare so well. Lynn lasted just two innings, allowing nine hits, two walks and seven runs (six earned). Zack Greinke, who starts tonight for the Dodgers, was the winner in that 9-1 game. Lynn doesn’t lack for postseason experience; this will be his 22nd appearance over the past four years. He has both started and relieved, compiling a 5-4 record and 4.81 ERA. One of his wins came against the Dodgers, in LA, last Oct. 15 in the Game 4 of the NL Championship Series, which the Cards won in six. If there is a troubling aspect on Lynn’s ledger it might be that he failed four times to get win No. 16 down the stretch this season as the Cardinals were fighting to win the NL Central title. P.S. McComb’s Jarrod Dyson was at it again on Friday, this time using his arm to help Kansas City take a 2-0 lead in its American League Division Series against the LA Angels. Dyson, freshly inserted as a defensive replacement in center field in a 1-1 game, threw out a runner at third base in the eighth inning to complete a double play. “I assume they thought I don’t have a good arm,” the ex-Southwest Mississippi Community College star said in a TV interview. Ned Yost’s Royals won 4-1 in 11 innings, their third straight extra-inning postseason victory. Dyson, as a pinch runner, contributed a stolen base and a key run in the wild card game against Oakland on Tuesday. … Ole Miss product Aaron Barrett, a righty reliever, made Washington’s postseason roster but didn’t get into Game 1 of the NLDS on Friday as the Nationals lost at home to San Francisco.

12 Sep

life’s a pitch

You want good pitching … you need good pitching … especially in the heat of the playoff race. But good isn’t always rewarded; such is the fickle nature of baseball. Both Ole Miss alum Lance Lynn and ex-Picayune High standout T.J. House were good on Thursday. Only one could smile at day’s end. Firing furious fastballs at Cincinnati’s hitters, veteran right-hander Lynn went eight innings for St. Louis. He allowed just three hits (one by Billy Hamilton) and one run, struck out six and walked one. But the Cardinals, clinging to first place in the National League Central, were shut out by Johnny Cueto and Aroldis Chapman. Lynn took the loss in the 1-0 game and is now 15-9 with a 2.73 ERA. Plying pinpoint placement against Minnesota, rookie left-hander House went seven innings for Cleveland. He allowed just four hits (one by Brian Dozier) and no runs with eight strikeouts and no walks. The Indians, trying to chase down an American League playoff berth, scored two runs and House got the victory, in Game 2 of a twinbill sweep, to improve to 3-3, 3.42. (For what it’s worth, House became the first Cleveland pitcher ever to go at least seven innings and allow one run or less with no walks in three consecutive starts.) “It’s really exciting to watch his development,” Indians manager Terry Francona told mlb.com. P.S. Former Harrison Central star Bobby Bradley was named the rookie level player of the year for 2014 by Baseball America. Bradley, an Indians farmhand, batted .361 with eight homers and 50 RBIs in the Arizona League. Also making BA’s classification all-star teams were Ole Miss product Auston Bousfield (Padres) in short-season Class A; former Mississippi State star Kendall Graveman (Blue Jays) in high Class A; and ex-Mississippi Braves closer Chasen Shreve in Double-A.

20 Aug

bigger fish

About this time in 1999, Lance Lynn was toeing the rubber in the Little League World Series. Former Ole Miss star Lynn, one of 12 players to participate in both MLB’s Fall Classic and the LLWS (Hattiesburg’s Charlie Hayes is another), has bigger things on his mind today. The St. Louis Cardinals right-hander faces Cincinnati at Busch Stadium in another in a series of crucial games for National League Central clubs. The Cardinals are 68-57 and in hot pursuit of first-place Milwaukee. The Reds, who’ll throw ace Johnny Cueto today, are trying to stay alive in the playoff race, having lost four in a row to fall to 61-65. Lynn is 13-8 with a 2.91 ERA for the year and has a 1.97 in his last eight starts. The lineups for today’s game haven’t been posted yet, but Lynn is likely to face Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton (1-for-6 vs. Lynn) and his former Rebels teammate Zack Cozart (0-for-6 this year, 6-for-23 career). Often overshadowed on the St. Louis pitching staff, Lynn is building a very nice resume. He is 47-26 for his career with a 3.57 ERA. And he has a World Series ring, the MLB variety. P.S. Former Mississippi Braves hurler J.J. Hoover might be hoping for a day off. Now a reliever for the Reds, Hoover pitched a disastrous ninth inning against the Cardinals on Tuesday and absorbed his 10th loss of the year. That ties a team record for losses by a reliever. It was also his 10 straight loss, which is a franchise record.

24 Jun

ghostbuster

Lance Lynn seems to have the counter curse for the demons that haunt pitchers at Coors Field. The ex-Ole Miss star threw eight shutout innings on Monday night, yielding just three hits with seven strikeouts in St. Louis’ 8-0 win over Colorado. The skidding Rockies were shut out at home for the first time in almost a year. Lynn, now 8-5 with a 2.90 ERA, has faced 77 batters at Coors in his career and never yielded a home run. The big right-hander reportedly has made some changes in his delivery to avoid tipping pitches, and he has allowed just two runs in his last 22 innings. He retired 17 of the first 18 batters he faced on Monday. Meridian Community College product Corey Dickerson, who always seems to be in the middle of something (witness his pratfall between third base and home on Sunday), had two of the Rockies’ three hits. P.S. Jarrod Dyson, the former Southwest Mississippi CC standout, went 3-for-3 with two RBIs, a run and a pair of stolen bases in helping Kansas City beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3. Dyson is batting .305 with 12 stolen bases in 51 games (105 at-bats). … UM product Aaron Barrett (1.75 ERA) pitched a scoreless inning as Washington beat Milwaukee 3-0 in a matchup of National League division leaders.

14 Jun

just for starters

Though the field is small, the race for most wins among Mississippi-connected starters in the big leagues is always interesting to watch. Lance Lynn edged out Cliff Lee 15-14 last year, while Paul Maholm ran third with 10 W’s. As we near this season’s halfway point, Lynn — a horse in the figurative sense — has bolted to the lead. The former Ole Miss ace moved to 7-4 with an outstanding effort for St. Louis against Washington on Friday. He retired the first 16 batters and went eight innings, yielding two hits with eight strikeouts in a 1-0 win. Lynn had lost two straight starts after his brilliant shutout of the New York Yankees on May 27, but Drew Pomeranz, another ex-Rebels star, was unable to gain any ground in the wins race during that time. Despite allowing just one earned run over 14 innings, the Oakland left-hander is 0-1 in his last two starts. For the year, Pomeranz is 5-3 – 4-2 since moving into the A’s rotation. He is expected to go again against Texas on Monday. Meridian Community College product Lee is 4-4 for Philadelphia but is out of the race at the moment, stuck on the disabled list since mid-May. He is throwing again, however, and surely champing at the bit to return. Picayune High product T.J. House, who makes his fifth MLB start today for Cleveland against Boston at Fenway Park, is running way in the back, still seeking his first win. The lefty is 0-1 with a 5.24 ERA and yielded five earned runs in 3 1/3 innings against Texas his last time out. His hold on a rotation spot may be tenuous for the improving Indians. Maholm, the former Mississippi State standout, is 1-4 with a 4.84 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is now working out of their bullpen — his last start was May 9 — though a spot start here or there is certainly possible. P.S. It’s wait ’til next, uh, half for the Mississippi Braves, who were eliminated from the Southern League South first-half race with a loss at Tennessee on Friday night. The M-Braves will begin the second half, with a clean slate, on June 19 at Trustmark Park against the Jackson (Tenn.) Generals.

28 May

mission accomplished

Ole Miss product Lance Lynn had made 146 career starts, minors and majors, heading into Tuesday’s turn against the New York Yankees. For the first time, the St. Louis Cardinals right-hander finished what he started. Lynn notched his first complete game, beating the Yankees 6-0 with a five-hitter. “It was definitely one to remember,” Lynn told The Associated Press. “To do it against the Yankees is exciting, especially if it’s your first one as a professional.” Lynn walked three and struck out two, throwing 126 pitches. He had won just one of his previous six starts but is now 6-2 with a 3.12 ERA. For his MLB career, Lynn is 40-20. And his Cardinals have won 10 of 13 to get to 29-23, 1½ games behind Milwaukee in the National League Central. P.S. Another name to watch in the upcoming MLB draft: Justin Steele, a left-hander at George County High. Baseball America ranks the Southern Miss signee as the No. 120 prospect overall. Steele, 6 feet 2, 170 pounds, went 5-1 with a 0.98 ERA, struck out 92 and walked just 12 in 43 innings.

15 Apr

more lynn-sanity

Lance Lynn might not be considered the ace of the St. Louis staff — he might even be the No. 5 starter — but the Ole Miss product produced an ace-worthy performance on Monday night. Lynn threw seven shutout innings against red-hot Milwaukee as the Cardinals beat the Brewers 4-0 and halted their nine-game win streak. Lynn allowed just three hits and three walks while fanning 11. “Today was as good as I’ve seen him,” a Cards teammate told mlb.com. Lynn is now 3-0 with a 4.00 ERA this season and is an impressive 37-18 over four MLB campaigns. … Atlanta did not face Philadelphia closer and ex-Mississippi State star Jonathan Papelbon on Monday and may have benefited from it. Dan Uggla belted a ninth-inning grand slam off fill-in closer Jake Diekman in the Braves’ wild 9-6 win. Former Meridian Community College standout Cliff Lee (2-1, 5.50 ERA) is slated to start against the Braves tonight in Philly. Left-hander Lee has been prone to allowing long balls in recent years, and Atlanta hit five (two by ex-Mississippi Braves star Evan Gattis) on a windy Monday.