Texas beat Cleveland 9-2 to go a half game up in the West. They would never trail in the division again the rest of the season.

*****

THE GOOD DEREK.
Originally published May 31, 2016.

Exactly one month ago, Derek Holland got a win. Five starts later, he gets his next.

But Holland didn’t pitched as badly as it might sound during that stretch.

Yes, his May did start with a thud. He had a game where he gave up eleven earned runs, followed by one where he gave up four earned.

He looked to be going backward.

But his last three starts, including last night’s, have really been good. He has given up two runs, two runs, and one run.

In fact, take away those two miserable early-May games, and here is Holland’s earned run total per game: 3, 0, 2, 3, 0, 2, 2, 1.

Overall, Holland is 4-4 with an ERA of 4.78. But it’s the tale of two Hollands.

Derek Holland’s ERA in the first two games in May: 27.00.

Derek Holland’s ERA in his other eight starts in 2016: 2.75.

One way to look at Holland’s 2016 season is this: Eighty percent of the time, expect Derek to give up 1.6 runs per game. Twenty percent of the time, expect him to give up eight.

Reality is often perception. But in this case, it isn’t. Holland has had a pretty good season.

Except for those two games.