StaTuesday: Davies entering rare Brewers 'win' territory
In this advanced Major League Baseball statistical word we live in, pitcher wins has taken something of a hit in recent years.
Yet, the stat is still kept tracked of and while it might mean less than it used to when pitchers completed the majority of games they started, it certainly doesn't mean nothing.
With that out of the way, it's time to appreciate the season Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Zach Davies is having.
With 18 games left on the regular-season schedule, Davies has won 17 games -- just the 13th time in franchise history a pitcher has won that many games and 10th pitcher overall (both Mike Caldwell and Teddy Higuera reached that mark twice).
Another win, and Davies can reach 18 wins for just the eight time in Brewers history. No one has ever won exactly 19 games and three have hit the magical 20 mark.
| PITCHER | YEAR | WINS |
| Jim Colborn | 1973 | 20 |
| Mike Caldwell | 1978 | 22 |
| Lary Sorensen | 1978 | 18 |
| Pete Vukovich | 1982 | 18 |
| Mike Caldwell | 1982 | 17 |
| Teddy Higuera | 1986 | 20 |
| Teddy Higuera | 1987 | 18 |
| Jaime Navarro | 1992 | 17 |
| Chris Capuano | 2005 | 18 |
| Yovani Gallardo | 2011 | 17 |
| Wily Peralta | 2014 | 17 |
| Zach Davies | 2017 | 17 |
Only Lary Sorensen, who was 22, was younger than the 24-year-old Davies on that above list.
Davies has an outside shot to join Caldwell, Colborn and Higuera and win 20 games. OK, very outside. With likely just 3-4 starts left, well, you can do the math. It might be improbable, but it's not impossible.
Seeing as how 20-game winners are decreasing -- there were 34 from both 1990-99 and 2000-09, but just 19 so far in 2010-17 -- it would be quite the accomplishment.
In addition, it would move Milwaukee to the top of the list of the last time each team has had a 20-game winner. Currently, only two teams have gone a longer stretch that the Brewers: Baltimore (1984) and San Diego (1978), although Colorado, which came into the league in 1993, is still waiting for its first.
| TEAM | YEAR | PITCHER |
| Red Sox | 2016 | Rick Porcello |
| Blue Jays | 2016 | J.A. Happ |
| Nationals | 2016 | Max Scherzer |
| Cubs | 2015 | Jake Arrieta |
| Astros | 2015 | Dallas Keuchel |
| Cardinals | 2014 | Adam Wainwright |
| Reds | 2014 | Johnny Cueto |
| Dodgers | 2014 | Clayton Kershaw |
| Tigers | 2013 | Max Scherzer |
| Mets | 2013 | R.A. Dickey |
| Angels | 2012 | Jered Weaver |
| Rays | 2012 | David Price |
| Diamondbacks | 2011 | Ian Kennedy |
| Phillies | 2010 | Roy Halladay |
| Yankees | 2010 | CC Sabathia |
| Indians | 2008 | Cliff Lee |
| Marlins | 2005 | Dontrelle Willis |
| Twins | 2004 | Johan Santana |
| Braves | 2003 | Russ Ortiz |
| Mariners | 2003 | Jamie Moyer |
| White Sox | 2003 | Esteban Loaiza |
| Athletics | 2002 | Barry Zito |
| Rangers | 1998 | Rick Helling |
| Giants | 1993 | Bill Swift |
| Pirates | 1991 | John Smiley |
| Royals | 1989 | Bret Saberhagen |
| Brewers | 1986 | Teddy Higuera |
| Orioles | 1984 | Mike Boddicker |
| Padres | 1978 | Gaylord Perry |
| Rockies | n/a | n/a |
And say what you want about wins as a statistic, but Davies certainly has earned most of his.
In 12 of his 17 victories, Davies allowed two or fewer runs. In the other five he allowed 4, 4, 4 (3 earned), 4 and 6 (5 earned). However, he also has one no-decision in which he allowed one run (none earned) and two when he allowed two runs. He also picked up losses in games in which he twice allowed two runs -- one time with only one of those earned and the other with both being unearned.
Dave Heller is the author of Ken Williams: A Slugger in Ruth's Shadow, Facing Ted Williams - Players From the Golden Age of Baseball Recall the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived and As Good As It Got: The 1944 St. Louis Browns
