hes got nothing out there....bases loaded - needs a big strike here

Yeah terrible tonight. It's not even the pounding we're taking - 162 games, you figure you're gonna get your ass handed to you a few times - it's the fact that we're in the bullpen in the 2nd inning already (technically only one inning into the game with only 3 outs recorded so far). Without an off-day 'till 4/23, this isn't good. I was hoping after the bad 1st inning Wang would settle in a little & give us some length here but it didn't happen. And you said it dj, something's not right with Wang. Velocity way down (this guy throws 95 mph sinkers when he's right) and the arm angle and release point looks all fouled up. The broke down the windup in slow-mo before and I agree with Coney & Flash - his arm speed looks like it's lagging behind a little bit. Man, not good fellas...

Posted by TMS:

Posted by Bonn1997:

I hate to say it but Wang looks like he never recovered from getting roughed up in the 2006 playoffs. He's had a few good games at times but hasn't looked like the Ace/High #2 pitcher he was previously.

i have no idea what makes u reach back to the 2006 playoffs to come up w/something like that when he went 19-7 the year after & pitched to an almost identical ERA as he put up in '06... last year he was on his way to putting up a similar season before he got injured.

this season he's looked nothing like the pitcher he's been over his career... his sinker isn't sinking & he's got no control over his slider or split finger.

2007 playoffs rather, not 2006.

Nick Swisher pitching relief... are you freakin' kidding me? please can we call up a freakin' LONG RELIEF MAN & stop making ourselves the butt of jokes this season?

Hughes is not the guy u want waiting for long relief stints... he needs regular innings on regular rest... we will probably be calling up Aceves or Tomko... Hughes will only be called up to make a start in place of 1 of our other starters probably.

Posted by Bonn1997:

Posted by TMS:

Posted by Bonn1997:

I hate to say it but Wang looks like he never recovered from getting roughed up in the 2006 playoffs. He's had a few good games at times but hasn't looked like the Ace/High #2 pitcher he was previously.

i have no idea what makes u reach back to the 2006 playoffs to come up w/something like that when he went 19-7 the year after & pitched to an almost identical ERA as he put up in '06... last year he was on his way to putting up a similar season before he got injured.

this season he's looked nothing like the pitcher he's been over his career... his sinker isn't sinking & he's got no control over his slider or split finger.

2007 playoffs rather, not 2006.

Since October of 2007, Wang has made 19 starts and pitched 105 innings with a 5.98 ERA. This is a guy who previously looked like an ACE or at least a very, very good #2 pitcher. Did his problems really just start two weeks ago or has something been wrong for eighteen months now?

[Edited by - bonn1997 on 04-14-2009 07:40 AM]

Posted by TMS:

Posted by Bonn1997:

Posted by Bonn1997:

Posted by TMS:

Posted by Bonn1997:

I hate to say it but Wang looks like he never recovered from getting roughed up in the 2006 playoffs. He's had a few good games at times but hasn't looked like the Ace/High #2 pitcher he was previously.

i have no idea what makes u reach back to the 2006 playoffs to come up w/something like that when he went 19-7 the year after & pitched to an almost identical ERA as he put up in '06... last year he was on his way to putting up a similar season before he got injured.

this season he's looked nothing like the pitcher he's been over his career... his sinker isn't sinking & he's got no control over his slider or split finger.

2007 playoffs rather, not 2006.

Since October of 2007, Wang has made 19 starts and pitched 105 innings with a 5.98 ERA. This is a guy who previously looked like an ACE or at least a very, very good #2 pitcher. Did his problems really just start two weeks ago or has something been wrong for eighteen months now?

[Edited by - bonn1997 on 04-14-2009 07:40 AM]

well obviously if u add in his last 2 horrible starts he's had it's going to skew those stats... he was pitching well last year before his injury... i think it's more of him struggling to find his release point & mechanics coming back from an extended time off due to injury.

[Edited by - TMS on 04-14-2009 06:16 AM]

His ERA since Oct of 2007 but excluding these two starts (which shouldn't really be excluded anyway since these games count as much as any others): 4.92

You really have to exclude all the fat--that ugly playoff series and the ugly start to this season--just to get his ERA to a respectable level a little over 4. However, if you take away the four worst starts of most good starting pitchers in a 19 game stretch, their ERAs should be well below, not a little above, 4.

I'm not saying he's a bad pitcher. I'm just saying there's something seriously wrong that's been going on for about 18 months. Is it a physical or a psychological problem, or both? We have no way of knowing but we need him to get back to the pitcher he was before this 18 month stretch.

Posted by Allanfan20:

Posted by TMS:

Hughes is not the guy u want waiting for long relief stints... he needs regular innings on regular rest... we will probably be calling up Aceves or Tomko... Hughes will only be called up to make a start in place of 1 of our other starters probably.

I was talking about him starting, no long relief. If Wang continues to pitch like this, then it's going to be an automatic loss every 5 games and every 5 games, we have to waste our bullpen. Maybe we bring Hughes up and show Wang that him starting is not an automatic anymore. Maybe it's time we give Hughes the shot anyway, and see if last year was a fluke.

yeah if Wang struggles again in another start i wouldn't be surprised if they sent him down to Tampa to work out his problems & give Hughes a shot in the rotation.

Swisher has been unbelievable