A Look At Four Pitchers
I couldn’t be happier for any player than I am for Dontrelle Willis after last night. In his second start of the year he earned his first win in almost 20 months. He was pretty spectacular, too – allowing just one hit in six and a third shutout innings. His first start, six days earlier, was pretty ugly, but this was one heck of a bounce back. Not only did he pitch well, but he did it against the incredibly hot Texas Rangers as well. It’s obviously way too early to trust him, but it will be fascinating to see how he does in his next couple of outings. I’m no psychologist, so I have no idea if this is relevant or not, but I can’t help but make a comparison between Willis and Zack Greinke . Both are stunningly talented pitchers who had their career derailed by an anxiety disorder. I don’t know if the conditions were even remotely related, but Greinke certainly bounced back well, and Willis has more than enough talent to do the same. I’m pulling for him.
One of my favorite pitchers the last few years has been Scott Kazmir. Needless to say, then, I am more than a little concerned and perplexed by what his season is looking like. His ERA is up to 6.97 on the year after he got blown up last time out – seven earned runs in just over three innings against Cleveland on Friday. In his last four starts his ERA is up to 12.91. He has only made it as far as the seventh inning twice all ear, and he has yet to escape that inning. Most alarming, his velocity has cratered. His fastball, which was typically in the mid-90s up to this point in his career, has yet to crack 90 with any regularity this year – even early on. His curve ball doesn’t sweep like it used to either, and his control hasn’t been close to pinpoint. That’s far from good news for a power pitcher who thrives on strikeouts. Both Kazmir and the team say that he is totally healthy and that he’s just in a funk, but it sure seems like it is more than that. I never thought I’d say this about him, but until he shows us otherwise, Kazmir is a legitimate bet-against every time he takes the mound.
Speaking of Tampa Bay, I have been surprised all year that we haven’t seen David Price yet. I though that he was far too valuable and needed to not make the big team. Not only has he not made the majors so far, though, but he has been less impressive than we would expect in the minors. That changed on Sunday, though, when he looked as good as we know he can. He threw five no-hit innings with nine strikeouts and just two walks. He likely had more in him, but the Rays have him on a strict pitch count so he had to come out. He was just 1-4 with an ERA of almost four coming into the game, but given how he pitched Sunday you have to wonder how much of his struggles have had to do with frustration over not being in Tampa. I’ll be paying close attention to his next couple of starts with the Durham Bulls – if they are any good at all then I wouldn’t be surprised to see him up beforekids are out of school for the summer.
Tim Wakefield allowed one run on five hits in eight innings against the Blue Jays last week to secure a very important win against the Jays and move to 5-2 on the season. Not bad for a 42 year old who was so average last year that I was certain he was done. At this rate he’ll still be pitching in the majors to guys who aren’t even born yet.
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Tags: David Price, Dontrelle Willis, Scott Kazmir, Tim Wakefield
