So as you may have noticed, these Dice-K comparisons have begun to get more and more favorable the past few starts. Dice-K continued his strong run of late in his latest start, pitching 8 innings and giving up 3 runs against the Braves. He also did not surrender a walk for the second straight game, making it 19.1 innings since Dice-K surrendered a free pass. Speaking of streaks, Matsuzaka has also won a string of five consecutive decisions. Point being: It is time to start being afraid. Very, very afraid.
Now as for our guest this week, this one is going to be a little different than usual. Lets call it, an educational case. This is because this week's comparison is blatantly off from Dice-K in one key regard, that being win percentage. Dice-K has won 75% of his decisions, behind run support of 4, 7, 11, 9, 7, and 13 in his wins. This week's guest shows just how important run support is to a pitcher, as his other measurables (quality start percentage, ERA, and WHIP) are almost identical to Dice-K's, but alas, he ranked near the bottom of the league in run support last season. So without further ado, this week Dice-K is looking like...Jake Peavy!
Dice-K 2007:
W%: .75
QS%: .66
ERA: 4.06
WHIP: 1.18
Salary: $6,333,333
Peavy 2006:
W%: .44
QS%: .66
ERA: 4.09
WHIP: 1.23
Salary: $2,500,000