2016 Starting Rotation

[jacksonianmarch]

Buchholz looked absolutely terrible. His fastball was flat and his breaking stuff was flat. It was one start. We shall see if it continues

[Yaz Fan Since 67]

I hope they don't build a team around this guy again. They should've learn by now.

 

Boy ain't that the truth. I have zero faith in Buch, that vanished years ago. I still believe ERod will fill the #2 spot very well when he gets back.

[Kimmi]

Yes, let's all call the season for Buchholz after one start.

[a700hitter]

Yes, let's all call the season for Buchholz after one start.

No one is calling the season for Buch. They are calling the half season for him as he never pitches more than half of a season.

[Dojji]

Another tough day for a member of the rotation, but let me just say a word in praise of the bullpen. Noe Ramirez rose to the occasion, and Tavarez-Uehara-Kimbrel shut down the game once we had the lead.

[sk7326]

Another tough day for a member of the rotation, but let me just say a word in praise of the bullpen. Noe Ramirez rose to the occasion, and Tavarez-Uehara-Kimbrel shut down the game once we had the lead.

 

If healthy the team can create a lot of 6-inning games. Now, Smith's arrival will be welcome so Tazawa does not drop dead from exhaustion. There is no meaningful conclusion - none - you can make from 26 innings of baseball. However, you can get a sense of whether guys look like they are overwhelmed or struggling or whatnot.

 

- Already you can see Ramirez looks comfortable at 1B. 1984 Keith Hernandez he isn't, but he made a nice play last night, and it is clear he will not be the tsunami level disaster he was in LF

- It is striking what a difference just some basic chops on the left side makes for the defensive shape as a whole. This team has the ability to be plus in 3 or 4 places and competent throughout. This team can provide the pitchers some run prevention help that was missing for large swaths of last season. I'm not sure if the LFs will get flummoxed by Fenway LF, but we can only wait and see there.

- The lineup has the ability to hit their way through a lot of rough patches in the run prevention. This was I think what the vision was last season - that the team could win enough slo-pitch games while the other side of the ball was getting figured out. That did not come to fruition early enough and then when it did come it was too late.

 

The loss to Cleveland was a bit of a bummer, but 161-1 is still a good season.

[Bellhorn04]

Sure would be nice to see Porcello not follow in the footsteps of Buch and Kelly. These 3 guys are probably the key to the season.

[Yaz Fan Since 67]

Well so far it has played out as a lot of us had feared. Behind Price and possibly Rodríguez nothing but question marks. Frankly I don't trust any of them.

[cp176]

It is already different from last year. This team can come from behind. Everybody really knew that without a healthy E-Rod there were going to be issues with the starting pitching. Wrap my head around the fact that Porcello is probably a #4 for keeps and I'm ok.

[Kimmi]

It does already feel different from last year. Last year, being down by 4 runs, or even 2 runs, there was no confidence in the offense to come back. I believe it was Pete Abraham who said that with the risk of going all nutty so early, this team has a 2013 feel to it. I was thinking the same thing after Friday's come back win.

 

All that said, you cannot assess or base anything off of four games, good or bad. While I am really excited about how this offense has started off, I know they are not going to score an average of 7 runs/game.

 

Likewise, I also know that Buchholz, Kelly, and Porcello are not going to have ERAs of 6, 11.25, and 21, respectively.

 

People, do not jump off of the Tobin yet with regards to our starting pitching.

[Kimmi]

And really, Porcello did not pitch that badly, all things considered. He had a K/W ratio of 7/1, which I'll take any day of the week. The Jays are a powerhouse offense. Donaldson and Bautista will hit almost any pitcher well. Porcello dominated the rest of the lineup, really.

[Dojji]

No, Porcello got beat twice by one of the best hitters in the league and got through 6. there will be worse outings by a Red Sox pitcher this year even if some of those look better on the box score.

 

Good on Porcello for settling down and letting only Jose Bautista beat him. if our bullpen and offense are strong this year we can deal with the kind of performance Porcello just gave us, and of course I'd expect him to be more effective against weak lineups much like other #3 starters

[cp176]

I don't think that Bucholz or kelly will likely stink the place up every time they take the mound. Personally, my days of projecting them to be anything better than what their proven records show them to be, are over. Dependability is very important. I'm sure that Price will not be lights out everytime he takes the hill and I am pretty sure that Porcello will have some good solid outings. I think we know what we have in them. With the other two, not so much. Team is fun to watch!

[mvp 78]

Don't sugar coat it. He sucked for the first few innings. He put some fat pitches in the zone and was lucky to give up only 4. I'll give credit for him settling down, but the box score masks how bad he was early on.

[Dojji]

Every pitcher makes bad pitches in any game. Sometimes the hitters punish him sometime they don't. That was a very good lineup he righted the ship against, I'm inclined to give Porcello the benefit of the doubt somewhat.

 

It's going to be really important for Stephen Wright to get through at least 5 innings today. Farrell has done a decent job balancing the workload but the bullpen has taken a lot of innings for such a young season.

[mvp 78]

Why give a poor pitcher the benefit of the doubt??? He wasn't very good last year, but miraculously he'll be fine now? Huh?

[a700hitter]

I am very happy about Porcello's outing yesterday, because he did enough to win. As I posted before the game, he could give up a couple of long balls and we would still have a chance to win, and that is what he did. If I am the GM, I would nevertheless be concerned that I have a pitcher who is a sinkerball pitcher who hasn't been able to pitch down in the zone since we got him. It doesn't bode well for him.

[Dojji]

Why give a poor pitcher the benefit of the doubt??? He wasn't very good last year, but miraculously he'll be fine now? Huh?

He is not "fine" now. but he did the #1 job we needed him to do -- eat 6 innings and keep the game sufficiently under control that the offense and the bullpen, if they did their jobs, could win. He needed to push at least through and give up no more than 4 runs and that's exactly what he did.

 

It was not a good performance but it was (barely) adequate. And that should be noted by all the hand-wringers who can't look past his contract and can't content themselves with anything but an ace type performance from a guy whose #1 job is always going to be, eat innings and keep the team in the game.

[mvp 78]

The problem is that Kelly and Buch aren't pitching like 2's or 3's. If no one steps up, this team will retire Koji midseason due to injury.

[Bellhorn04]

At the minimum, we need 2 of Larry, Curly and Joe to perform like average pitchers.

[Dojji]

The problem is that Kelly and Buch aren't pitching like 2's or 3's. If no one steps up, this team will retire Koji midseason due to injury.

 

Exactly, that is the problem. Porcello's outing isn't.

[a700hitter]

Exactly, that is the problem. Porcello's outing isn't.

A winning outing is never a problem.

[sk7326]

Exactly, that is the problem. Porcello's outing isn't.

 

He made 2 bad pitches to the best homerun hitter of the last five years. I'll take 30 of those outings.

[Dojji]

Wright was impressive tonight, it should be said. he had a good spring and looked alright last year. if he keeps that kind of performance he might climb up the rotational depth chart this year.

[mvp 78]

He made 2 bad pitches to the best homerun hitter of the last five years. I'll take 30 of those outings.

 

He made more than 2 bad pitches.

[iortiz]

I think that some people are getting used to bad pitching. This wasn't a good performance by any means. At this pace he is a 5+ ERA pitcher again. Yeah this is Toronto but BAL and NYY are potent L-ups as well and you can not discard TB's, and you still have a bunch of games vs TOR. Let's not fool ourselves, the offense and the BP, gave us the victory. He needs to improve, a lot. This could have been worse.

[Dojji]

There is no "yeah this is toronto but." He got through one of the league's best offense on paper while giving up 4 runs in 6 innings. He made some mistakes but got a lot of good hitters out and kept the game within reach. That. Is. Not. Bad.

 

You people are going out of your way to find excuses to panic. Stop.

[iortiz]

LOL! No one is panicking Doji, but saying that this is what we expect from him every day of the week, is not true (at least not for me)... i.e. you are assuming that this offense is going to make at least 5 Rs and the BP is not going to allow more Runs in order to win. You are asking perfection from the other parts of the team. That scenario is unlikely, when this guy takes the mound. He needs to improve. And again, IMO it was cheap, it could have been way worse.

[Dojji]

Well how do you define "what we expect?" What is the role if a middle of the rotation starter? It's to keep the team in the game and give the team a chance to win. From that standpoint, mission accomplished. If you expect a #3 starter to pitch like an ace day in day out you're begging for disappointment.

 

Forget the contract. Porcello is a mid rotation starter. That's what he's been for most of his career, that is what he is now, and that is exactly what he pitched like in Toronto. Mission accomplished.

[Kimmi]

And that should be noted by all the hand-wringers who can't look past his contract and can't content themselves with anything but an ace type performance from a guy whose #1 job is always going to be, eat innings and keep the team in the game.

 

That seems to be a real issue, people not being able to look past the contract.