Look at this list of pitchers. Notice number 484. Yes, that is the guy with the four hundred eighty-fourth best earned run average in major league baseball this year. That is also the guy with the worst ERA of anyone who has pitched more than 32 innings this year (and the guy who has pitched 32 innings this year and has a worse ERA is Jeff Weaver (10.97)-- and if you have been keeping up with baseball this year, you realize that Jeff Weaver has been astoundingly, tremendously shitty this year).
What is interesting that Mr. Buddy Bell still trotted out Scott Elarton tonight to pitch against the Cardinals. In case you were curious, Elarton's WHIP is 1.937. That would be a little worse than Roger Clemens' ERA of 2005. However, [here's the understatement of the year] it's not good when your WHIP is more than somebody's recent entire season's ERA. But back to tonight. Elarton pitched a spectacular 2 & 2/3 innings tonight, giving up 5 earned runs (raising his ERA from 8.54 to the above-mentioned 9.17, and his WHIP from 1.837 to 1.937). Yes, he had shoulder surgery on August 1, 2006, but he still sucks. Look at his numbers from 2006: 20 games started, 114.7 innings pitched, 5.34 ERA, 1.474 WHIP. He sure as hell wasn't "good" last year...so what does Buddy Bell do??? Make him a starter again this year!!! He hasn't lasted more than 5 & 2/3 innings this year, and in his last two starts he has lasted a
combined 4 & 2/3 innings. Oh and here's another stat for you: he has a 13:21 strikeouts-to-walks ratio. That would be good if, for example, I was pitching for the Royals. But it's not me. I'm not sure if Buddy Bell is familiar with a player named Zack Greinke. I'm pretty sure he could outpitch Scott Elarton at this point with a B.A.C. of 0.26. Greinke hits 97 on his fastball. Elarton hits 87-ish. While Greinke admittedly has his ups and downs, Elarton has his...downs. That's it. If his shoulder is supposedly his problem, put him on the DL and let it heal. Although I have a feeling he could spend a couple years "letting it heal" and he wouldn't improve much.
Good job Buddy. Seriously though, you should at least try to give your team a chance to win the game.
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