Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Don't let the door hit you on the way out
The blogosphere is elated because Kevin Jarvis is gone, but is bemoaning that he was there in the first place. I just want to write that Jarvis is not a bad option for the 11th man in the bullpen. He can pitch in a blowout, and with a few days rest seems to do alright. Jarvis has been a full-time starter for the past 4 years, and he should have been treated as such. Trying to get him to come in on a days rest was a mistake, set him up for failure. His scoreless appearances came on three days rest, and were longer stints. But the "showcase" command somehow got Melvin to show him at his worst - on short rest and on short notice.
Oh well, he's gone and that's that.
Next, Jon calls me out in the comments on my last post when I wrote that Matt Thornton got a well-deserved cup of coffee. Thornton is a year removed from Tommy John surgery and does not have command yet, and his pitching lines for this year show it, with 24 baserunners in 14 innings. So, I apologize for using "well-deserved".
However, Thornton was on track to the majors before being derailed by surgery, with a nice 2002 in San Antonio, and reaching Tacoma briefly in 2003 before getting hurt. The M's need a part-timer to travel with the club until Rafael Soriano returns in a week. So the M's give Thornton gets a taste of the majors and he is unlikely to be used except in situations where Jarvis SHOULD have been used - blowouts. Meanwhile, the arbitration clock is not started on other more highly touted prospects.
Today's picks:
Mets (Glavine) +125 over Dodgers (Nomo)
Devil Rays (Abbott) +165 over Red Sox (Wakefield)
Money to date: $269 (picking dog/favorite = +474/-205, 14-16, 12-9) - Expos lost in the ninth to spoil the easy money I got by picking the Marlins over Scott Elarton.
Oh well, he's gone and that's that.
Next, Jon calls me out in the comments on my last post when I wrote that Matt Thornton got a well-deserved cup of coffee. Thornton is a year removed from Tommy John surgery and does not have command yet, and his pitching lines for this year show it, with 24 baserunners in 14 innings. So, I apologize for using "well-deserved".
However, Thornton was on track to the majors before being derailed by surgery, with a nice 2002 in San Antonio, and reaching Tacoma briefly in 2003 before getting hurt. The M's need a part-timer to travel with the club until Rafael Soriano returns in a week. So the M's give Thornton gets a taste of the majors and he is unlikely to be used except in situations where Jarvis SHOULD have been used - blowouts. Meanwhile, the arbitration clock is not started on other more highly touted prospects.
Today's picks:
Mets (Glavine) +125 over Dodgers (Nomo)
Devil Rays (Abbott) +165 over Red Sox (Wakefield)
Money to date: $269 (picking dog/favorite = +474/-205, 14-16, 12-9) - Expos lost in the ninth to spoil the easy money I got by picking the Marlins over Scott Elarton.
