Statcast of the Day: Nunez’s speed aids Giants

Monday night’s matchup between the Giants and Dodgers featured two of planet Earth’s best pitchers in one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in the Majors. So, any baseball fan would expect runs to be hard to come by and they were in the Dodgers’ 2-1 win.

Aces Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner had put up dueling zeros in the first two frames at Dodger Stadium, and Kershaw had retired the first two Giants in the top of the third when Eduardo Nunez strode to the plate. Nunez has been battling a sore back in recent days, and could be seen trying to loosen up before he dug in to the batter’s box. But on an 0-1 count, Nunez hit a dribbler just past Kershaw’s glove and on to second baseman Chase Utley.

By the time Utley got a barehanded grip on the ball, Nunez was already approaching first base. The Giants infielder reached a top speed of 22.4 mph  — the fastest he has run on the basepaths for any of his batted balls in play this season — before sacrificing his aching back and diving headfirst into the first base bag. Whether he slid or remained upright, Nunez would have likely beaten the throw because his speed forced an inaccurate throw from Utley. It’s interesting to note, however, that if there is one …

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