Can't Win 'Em All...

[dxmachina]

The Padres finally won one. Erickson got cuffed around for five runs in 4.2 innings (game score of 28). They weren't really hitting him hard, just hitting him often. Still, I'm not going to worry too much about the fifth starter losing. There were good things in the game. Hee-Seop got a couple of hits, and got his batting average above .200 for the first time in his Dodger career. Drew continues to hit and draw walks. Milton Bradley made some great plays in center.

• Vin Scully, commenting during last night's game on Brad Penny's return to the rotation:

We'll repeat the fact that Brad Penny, weather permitting, is going to pitch Sunday in Colorado. If not, [Dodger rookie] DJ Houlton...

...Of course, I'm sure Houlton understands, but at the same time, that's nice, ya know? They say, "Well now look, kid, here's the story. If it's a nice day, Brad Penny's gonna pitch. If it's brutally cold, you're in there, kid..."

• Pedro Martinez pitched another very good game last night for the Mets. Pedro's game scores so far: 64, 87, 71, 75. <Still playing with the spreadsheet>

Time for lunch.

Comments

[hecubot.livejournal.com]

Pedro is not looking so very washed up, is he? When I caught a clip of him pitching on Baseball Tonight, his fastball looked plenty tough, and all his breaking balls were sharp.

[veejane.livejournal.com]

He's not washed-up now. In 3 years, we'll see how that shoulder is.

He's got a little more velocity now than he had at this time last season. Theory has it that last year, playing for a contract, he consciously held something back early, to be able to endure the second half of the season, and that inflated his ERA last year.

Whereas, right now he's going full bore and looking ferocious. And getting run support! (If not much bullpen support.)

[dxmachina.livejournal.com]

The numbers don't really support that he consciously held back early. Here are his average game scores, month by month:
April, 5 starts, 54.8
May, 6 starts, 49.2
June, 5 starts, 54.6
July, 5 starts, 47.4
August, 6 starts, 60.5
September, 6 starts, 48.0.

It seems like he was alternating good and bad months. As to his really awful starts, there was one each in April, May, June, and July, and two in September.

[veejane.livejournal.com]

Not held back overall, just held back velocity. IIRC he was generally in the 89-90 range all of the spring, and in September he was 91-2 with occasional flashes of 95.

He can still be awful when hitting 95, which September proves. But he's going full-bore, velocity-wise, this spring I think.