Question: In the long run, which single "inning" performance was more disturbing, Myers' 5th or Gordon's 9th?
Let's review:
Myers' 5th Inning
Threw 29 pitches/21 for strikes - seven in play
Faced nine batters: L-4, Single, Single, HBP, SF-9, Walk, Double, E-6, F-4
Result: Four runs (three earned) in one inning
Gordon's 9th Inning
Threw 20 pitches/nine for strikes - four in play
Faced six batters: Infield Single, L-9, Double, Walk, Double
Result: Five runs (all earned) in 1/3 of an inning
See the comment section for my thoughts and hopefully Mike and the two or three other people who read this blog will add their own.
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3 comments:
Initially I thought this would be a tough call because both innings bothered me. But as I wrote this, the answer became clear.
In 2007, too often the starters would pitch four or five strong – often shutout – innings only to be bludgeoned for a crooked number in one inning. One of the lone exceptions to this phenomenon was Kyle Kendrick and therein lies one of the reasons for his success – avoiding the big inning. The #1 starter giving up a big inning on opening day is not the harbinger I wanted to see. Still, given this Myers’ first start in 50 weeks, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
As for Gordon, we have seen this movie before and we know how it ends. Even if he is able to stay healthy all season – which is unlikely given his age and history – it will still be a roll of the dice every time he comes in to pitch. So my question is, why gamble? As I will explore more in depth in a separate post, Charlie Manual needs to rearrange his bullpen and make Romero the 8th inning set-up man. Gordon should not be allowed near the mound in the 8th or 9th inning of any game that is winnable. And given how this team can score runs late, that is a lot of games. Let him pitch the less stressful – for pitchers and fans – 6th or 7th innings. Should he falter, the phillie hitters would still have three or four at-bats to pick him up.
My Answer: While Myers’ 5th was more unexpected, in the long run, Gordon’s 9th is more disturbing and should be addressed immediately.
I agree, and I don't know what more to say. I hit on some of these same points in my own post. Keep Gordon away from the eighth and the ninth.
I guess I do have one thing to add. While my third-base-line seats weren't conducive to an accurate conception of the strike zone, it seemed that Myers was not getting all the calls he wanted early in the game. We know Myers has a hot temper, and an uncooperative umpire is his worst enemy. Can anyone who watched the game on TV verify the tight strike zone that may have gotten in Myers' head?
I watched the first four innings on tv over my lunch break. The umpire, IMHO, did not have a tight strike zone for either pitcher.
Of course, I do feel irrationally responsible for the 5th inning collapse because it happened the moment I came back to TerMime-X headquarters.
For what it's worth, that also means that I did not see the balls/strikes in the 5th.
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