Written by Amit Lal
| 14 May 2010
A Quality Start (QS) for a starting pitcher is defined as one in which the pitcher goes six or more innings while allowing three or fewer earned runs. When a team gets a QS, they usually manage to win the game (The NL average Win% in QS is 64.2% in 2010). For the Diamondbacks in 2010, however, even a QS is not enough to guarantee a winning record; the D'backs are only 6-10 in these situations. How is this happening? The bullpen is to blame in a few of these cases, but surprisingly, the offense has been the bigger culprit.
There have been only two games in which the Diamondbacks' starter left the game with a QS and the lead, only to see the team end up losing. These were both
Dan Haren starts, on 4/15 and 5/1. In the other eight QS losses, the offense didn't score enough, so the pitcher was already behind when he left the game. In fact, in these eight games, the Diamondbacks only scored a total of 17 runs. A few times, the bullpen also let the game slip further away, but did not actually blow the lead.
Here are the stats (through May 13) for the National League Pitching Staffs when they do get a Quality Start. The Diamondbacks have the lowest winning percentage when they do get a QS.
| Team |
Wins |
Losses |
Win% in QS |
| Rockies |
13 |
2 |
86.7 |
| Padres |
14 |
3 |
82.4 |
| Nationals |
11 |
4 |
73.3 |
| Giants |
16 |
6 |
72.7 |
| Phillies |
10 |
4 |
71.4 |
| Reds |
12 |
5 |
70.6 |
| Mets |
11 |
5 |
68.8 |
| Dodgers |
11 |
5 |
68.8 |
| Pirates |
8 |
4 |
66.7 |
| Marlins |
14 |
7 |
66.7 |
| Cardinals |
19 |
10 |
65.5 |
| Braves |
8 |
7 |
53.3 |
| Astros |
9 |
8 |
52.9 |
| Brewers |
7 |
8 |
46.7 |
| Cubs |
10 |
12 |
45.5 |
| Diamondbacks |
6 |
10 |
37.5 |
| NL |
179 |
100 |
64.2 |
The Cardinals have received a league leading 29 Quality Starts in 35 games, an 89.2% clip, which puts them well ahead of the Giants and Cubs with 22. The Diamondbacks are in the middle of the pack with 16. Overall, the National League is achieving Quality Starts in just over half of its starts.
| Team |
Total QS |
Games |
QS% |
| Cardinals |
29 |
35 |
82.9 |
| Giants |
22 |
33 |
66.7 |
| Cubs |
22 |
35 |
62.9 |
| Marlins |
21 |
35 |
60.0 |
| Padres |
17 |
34 |
50.0 |
| Reds |
17 |
34 |
50.0 |
| Astros |
17 |
34 |
50.0 |
| Dodgers |
16 |
34 |
47.1 |
| Mets |
16 |
35 |
45.7 |
| Diamondbacks |
16 |
35 |
45.7 |
| Rockies |
15 |
34 |
44.1 |
| Braves |
15 |
34 |
44.1 |
| Brewers |
15 |
34 |
44.1 |
| Nationals |
15 |
35 |
42.9 |
| Phillies |
14 |
33 |
42.4 |
| Pirates |
12 |
34 |
35.3 |
| NL |
279 |
548 |
50.9 |
