Lose 100th Game in Embarrassing Fashion, 10-0
W: Mike “5-finger” Leake (14-6)
L: Jordan “Punching Bag” Lyles (7-8)
Contributed by Reuben
I really don’t know what to think about Jordan Lyles at this point. I like the kid, and I believe all the people who see #2 starter potential in him. But he’s gone backwards this year. And at some point you have to wonder if he’s one of those once-promising starters who just can’t cut it as a starter. Maybe he could find himself in the bullpen, maybe even become an elite setup man or closer.
Brian Matusz comes to mind as a recent example, although there are certainly many others. Matusz was once rated the 5th-best prospect in all of baseball by BA, but in parts of 4 MLB seasons as a starter, he had a 5.51 ERA, 1.56 WHIP. Since the Orioles moved him to the ‘pen last year, he has a 2.95 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and his K rate has gone from 7.1 per 9 to 9.4.
I have no idea if Lyles would be better off in the bullpen – I’m very far from a pitching expert – but the fact that he’s only 22 years old becomes less reassuring the more backward steps he takes. In fact, most of his numbers this year are the same, or slightly worse, than his rookie year in 2011. Maybe pitching out of the bullpen he could find that extra 2-3 mph on his fastball that would enable him to get away with all the mistake pitches he seems to leave up in the zone. I don’t know. God knows this team could use another good reliever.
I have to admit, I turned this game off after the 5th inning. Instead, we watched the rest of a Werner Herzog documentary, Happy People: A Year In The Taiga. Don’t let the dubious title fool you, this is a wonderful film. It explores the lives and practices of Russian trappers in Siberia. These people already live in an extremely remote village most of the year, way out in an isolated, icy area that can only be reached by boat or helicopter. Then, during the winter, they leave their families and trek up to their tiny hunting cabins with their dogs and a winter’s worth of supplies, living in a completely self-reliant manner for months. Sounds boring to watch, perhaps, but to me it was fascinating. And beautiful. For the most part Herzog lets the trappers, and the visuals, do the talking. I highly recommend it. It’s on Netflix.
Anyway, I couldn’t resist the urge to tack on this apropos screen-grab from the game: 