Alright, so I got thinking about this matchup: Austin Riley facing Zack Wheeler. Both are absolute studs in the National League East, right? It feels like every time they face off, it’s a big moment. I wanted to actually look into it myself, see what the numbers really say beyond just watching the games.
My Process: How I Dug In
First thing I did was just sit down with my laptop. Usually, I start by pulling up some of my go-to baseball stats sites. You know the ones. Didn’t want anything too fancy, just needed reliable numbers. I specifically looked for tools that let you filter for batter vs. pitcher matchups. Took a few clicks to navigate through the menus, but I found it.
Finding the Head-to-Head Data:
Once I got the head-to-head page loaded for Riley vs. Wheeler, I started jotting down the basic stuff:
- At-bats
- Hits
- Home runs
- Walks
- Strikeouts
- Batting average
Just wanted to get a baseline feel. You see the raw numbers first, get an initial impression. Sometimes a guy surprisingly owns a pitcher, or vice-versa.
Looking Beyond the Basics
But average only tells part of the story, you know? So, I tried to dig a little deeper. I started looking at the quality of the contact when Riley does hit Wheeler. Are they mostly singles, or does he drive the ball? Some sites give you info on doubles, triples, stuff like that within the matchup data. I noted those down too.
Then I flipped it around. How does Wheeler approach Riley? I looked for info on pitch types. Does Wheeler rely heavily on his fastball against Riley, or does he mix in his slider and curveball more? Seeing the strikeout numbers made me curious about how he gets those Ks. Is Riley chasing pitches out of the zone, or is Wheeler just overpowering him?
Context Matters Too:
Stats in a vacuum can be tricky. So, I also took a quick peek at their recent performance. Is Wheeler on a roll lately? Has Riley been hot or cold at the plate over the last couple of weeks? Sometimes recent trends can give you a hint, even if the overall career matchup numbers say something slightly different. Also thought about ballpark factors – does Citizens Bank Park favor Wheeler more, or does Truist Park help Riley? Didn’t go super deep here, just kept it in the back of my mind.
Wrapping Up My Thoughts
After spending some time looking through all this, I didn’t exactly come away with a magic formula or a guaranteed prediction. It’s pretty clear why it’s always a fun battle to watch. Wheeler definitely has ways to get Riley out, especially with strikeouts, but Riley’s shown he can absolutely do damage too. He’s got that power.
So yeah, that was my little project. Just wanted to go through the exercise of looking it up myself instead of just hearing what commentators say. It’s interesting to see the numbers laid out. Makes watching their next encounter even more engaging, knowing a bit more about their history.
