Joe Petruccio’s Mets Art: June 10,2010 “Pitchers as different as night and day!”

2 comments

1. 

   stickguy

   6/11/2010-12:00pm at 12:00 pm (UTC -4)

   Reply

   I know we had a nice “discussion” yesterday in the dugout (game 1) about Johan. I wonder though, at his age and career piont, what he thinks of himself as?

   DOes he still think he is the 25-27 YO strikeout machine, Cy Young favorite? Or does he recognize he doesn’t have what he used to (it seems), and is starting to have more games where he has to battle without his good stuff or control (can still be effective, but in a more “ugly” way)?

   In some ways, he is now Glavine with a slightly better FB, but not really by that much.

   Does someone look at what Neise did, and say damn, I remember when I did that?

   maybe it is tiem for him to take that classic middle aged pitcher step. Get another pitch to keep the hitters honest. the FB/Change isn’t enough. Either dreak out and improve the slider some more, or go the petite route, and add a cutter and some other “trick” pitch.

   1. 

      GravediggerHebner

      6/11/2010-12:41pm at 12:41 pm (UTC -4)

      Reply

      It’s the walks that concern me: 9 in his last 2 starts (16 2/3 IP). Although I’m sure some of those walks are precisely him recognizing his diminished stuff and getting to a batter he thinks he can better dispose of. Why he chose not to do that with AGon yesterday I can’t say.

      But TRS was pointing out some stats in another thread that suggest he’s pitching quite well. On a broader note in 13 starts he’s given up more than 3 runs 4 times, and that’s 4, 4, 5, 10. That makes 9 quality starts (as it’s defined) in 13, all 9 better than the definition with 2 earned runs or less. Only 10 guys in the NL have more QS than that and many of those are of the “6 inning, 3 runs” variety. For a guy coming off elbow surgery I really can’t criticize his performance.