The CP reports that Towers is out of the rotation to be replaced by Victor Zambrano.
Glaus is also set to come off of the DL today.
Glaus is also set to come off of the DL today.
Personally, I don't see the rationale behind this move. While Towers has not been pitching great by any means, Zambrano has looked no better in his bullpen role, posting an ERA of 5.06 in 5.1 innings and an ugly WHIP of 2.63. He has also walked more batters (6) than struck out (4).
I understand Towers is on a short leash because of 2006, but he's been better than Ohka this year. It seems like a knee-jerk reaction to me. I have little faith in Zambrano, who is only 11 months removed from TJ surgery and has arguably been worse than Towers this year. The Jays are going to have a tough time the next couple of months, and I'm going to be watching MKGowan very closely over his next few starts.
Let me be the first to say, "What?!?!"
Towers has been no means great this year. And I usually only watch with one eye when he pitches due to the propensity for long balls. But he's only given up 4 HR's, 3 last night. His ERA is very average at 4.70, while he sports one of the best K/9 and K/BB rates on the team, K-ing far more than his carrer average at 8.22/9inn.
This seems to be an incredibly short leash-just 4 starts? I'm annoyed, I can't even imagine how annoyed Towers must be.
And to make it worse, Zambrano? If it were Janssen or Marcum, who have both pitched fairly well (despite Marcum's ERA of 6.30), I'd understand. Zambrano's WHIP is nearly double of Towers's at 2.63! What in the world has he done to earn a starting spot, besides walk more than 1 per inning??
This is truly baffling. This team is 11-11, and something this desperate seems far too premature and foolish.
Towers has been no means great this year. And I usually only watch with one eye when he pitches due to the propensity for long balls. But he's only given up 4 HR's, 3 last night. His ERA is very average at 4.70, while he sports one of the best K/9 and K/BB rates on the team, K-ing far more than his carrer average at 8.22/9inn.
This seems to be an incredibly short leash-just 4 starts? I'm annoyed, I can't even imagine how annoyed Towers must be.
And to make it worse, Zambrano? If it were Janssen or Marcum, who have both pitched fairly well (despite Marcum's ERA of 6.30), I'd understand. Zambrano's WHIP is nearly double of Towers's at 2.63! What in the world has he done to earn a starting spot, besides walk more than 1 per inning??
This is truly baffling. This team is 11-11, and something this desperate seems far too premature and foolish.
This is just a "screw you, Josh" move because he's been no worse than Ohka this year.
And why on god's green earth does Zambrano get the call? Of any of the ex-starters in long relief, he's the last one who should be bumped up to the rotation at this juncture. If a shuffle has to be made, give Marcum a few starts in the interim and see how McGowan fits in mid-May.
And why on god's green earth does Zambrano get the call? Of any of the ex-starters in long relief, he's the last one who should be bumped up to the rotation at this juncture. If a shuffle has to be made, give Marcum a few starts in the interim and see how McGowan fits in mid-May.
Gee, and I figured Zambrano would be optioned to AAA when Glaus came off the DL. He's clearly struggling with getting major league batters out, and there are far better options at this point.
If I could be armchair it, when Glaus came off the DL, I'd send Zambrano and Roberts down and call Vermilyea back up, and have him pitch long relief.
If I could be armchair it, when Glaus came off the DL, I'd send Zambrano and Roberts down and call Vermilyea back up, and have him pitch long relief.
I wonder if they're actually going to stick with this decision to start
Zambrano. Gibby and JP have about 3-4 days to mull this over
before Towers' spot comes up again, why make the announcement now?
Another vote for "huh?" Ohka's been much worse than Towers. Zambrano's been much worse than either, though I suppose you could argue that he's not used to pitching in relief and he'll clean up his act a little if he's in the rotation. Not enough to deserve a spot ahead of Casey Janssen, though.
I disagree with most posts but that's probably because I'm looking at it differently.
What I see is that we have two pitchers who aren't working in their roles and trying to fix that. For how good Towers ratios are, his IP suck. That may be because he gets a short leash or maybe we don't notice it on tv, but since Towers is an on or off guy, maybe he gets pulled because his stuff is gone at that point. In other words, the reason his ratios are low may be because his IP are low, not an indication that his IP should be higher. A move to the 'pen might allow him to be used more effectively. Ohka hasn't pitched as many innings either, but Ohka wasn't nearly as bad last year as Towers, so I do think he deserves a bit more benefit of the doubt.
As for Zambrano, clearly he isn't pitching well out of the pen and that's why I see it being a good idea to move him. If we put Jansen or Marcum in the rotation, our bullpen is bare, unless Towers is able to match their performance (any bets on that?). I'd rather we try and improve both parts of the staff (which I think this move attempts to accomplish) than knowingly weaken one (the bullpen) in the hopes of improving another. For instance, Jansen has been throwing 4-5 mph faster than last year from what I've heard - is that because of new found strength or is he just willing to let it rip more now that he only pitches a few innings.
I like the move.
What I see is that we have two pitchers who aren't working in their roles and trying to fix that. For how good Towers ratios are, his IP suck. That may be because he gets a short leash or maybe we don't notice it on tv, but since Towers is an on or off guy, maybe he gets pulled because his stuff is gone at that point. In other words, the reason his ratios are low may be because his IP are low, not an indication that his IP should be higher. A move to the 'pen might allow him to be used more effectively. Ohka hasn't pitched as many innings either, but Ohka wasn't nearly as bad last year as Towers, so I do think he deserves a bit more benefit of the doubt.
As for Zambrano, clearly he isn't pitching well out of the pen and that's why I see it being a good idea to move him. If we put Jansen or Marcum in the rotation, our bullpen is bare, unless Towers is able to match their performance (any bets on that?). I'd rather we try and improve both parts of the staff (which I think this move attempts to accomplish) than knowingly weaken one (the bullpen) in the hopes of improving another. For instance, Jansen has been throwing 4-5 mph faster than last year from what I've heard - is that because of new found strength or is he just willing to let it rip more now that he only pitches a few innings.
I like the move.
I was one who felt he was yanked too early last night. Now, he's thrown into the bullpen, where he's never done too well. Either get rid of him altogether or start him, but don't play games with his head like this. As for Zambrano: WTF! This guy will not get out of the 2nd inning in his first start and I think that's being generous.
Let's look at the "chance" our former 5th starter was given shall we? 1st start skipped while everybody else went in turn, due to weather. 1st real start on 10 days rest, Jays played like the Bad News Bears behind him and he got all of 3 runs of offense, 2 on a PH 2-run HR by Gregg Zaun. 2nd start pitched amazing in taming the Tigers over 7 and 2/3 innings. Got the win, but not thanks to the offense who scored 2 runs in a 2-1 win. His next start was part of the train wreck weekend in Baltimore. He got into the sixth and gave up 5 runs in a 5-2 loss. Again, no offensive support. Then, yesterday's game where yes he had an awful 3rd inning, but aside from that was perfect until Overbay made an error with 2 out in the 5th. He didn't give up a hit or a walk that inning, so why was he yanked?
I'm not saying he's an all-star pitcher, but he's definitely a serviceable starting pitcher in the major leagues and he's not even the worst in the Jays' rotation at this very early point in the season. Here are the average game scores for the 5 starters so far: Halladay 62.60, Burnett 51.60, Chacin 46.75, Towers 46.00, and Ohka 41.25. Here is the run support for the 5 starters (per 27 outs) so far: Burnett 7.16, Halladay 5.05, Ohka 5.00, Chacin 4.50, Towers 2.57. Of the 10 runs that have been scored in Towers' 4 starts, only 5 were scored while he was in the game. Even the good Doctor would've had a tough time scraping out wins with that kind of support. I just think it's way too early and there's not enough evidence in yet to support this decision. There's almost no separation between the 3, 4, and 5 starters in this rotation. It's overreaction based on last year's disaster. Josh Towers has worked hard to put last year behind him. Apparently Blue Jay management hasn't put forth the same effort and I think that's to the detriment of this team. I might have ultimately been proven wrong, but I would've welcomed the opportunity to be. I would've liked to see them exercise patience until: a) Zambrano had gone down to Syracuse to get stretched out b) Thomson had worked his way back from injury or c) McGowan had a half season in AAA to build up some confidence. This move smells like a knee-jerk reaction to me and the replacement has been, to be kind, putrid and is not stretched out to start.
Let's look at the "chance" our former 5th starter was given shall we? 1st start skipped while everybody else went in turn, due to weather. 1st real start on 10 days rest, Jays played like the Bad News Bears behind him and he got all of 3 runs of offense, 2 on a PH 2-run HR by Gregg Zaun. 2nd start pitched amazing in taming the Tigers over 7 and 2/3 innings. Got the win, but not thanks to the offense who scored 2 runs in a 2-1 win. His next start was part of the train wreck weekend in Baltimore. He got into the sixth and gave up 5 runs in a 5-2 loss. Again, no offensive support. Then, yesterday's game where yes he had an awful 3rd inning, but aside from that was perfect until Overbay made an error with 2 out in the 5th. He didn't give up a hit or a walk that inning, so why was he yanked?
I'm not saying he's an all-star pitcher, but he's definitely a serviceable starting pitcher in the major leagues and he's not even the worst in the Jays' rotation at this very early point in the season. Here are the average game scores for the 5 starters so far: Halladay 62.60, Burnett 51.60, Chacin 46.75, Towers 46.00, and Ohka 41.25. Here is the run support for the 5 starters (per 27 outs) so far: Burnett 7.16, Halladay 5.05, Ohka 5.00, Chacin 4.50, Towers 2.57. Of the 10 runs that have been scored in Towers' 4 starts, only 5 were scored while he was in the game. Even the good Doctor would've had a tough time scraping out wins with that kind of support. I just think it's way too early and there's not enough evidence in yet to support this decision. There's almost no separation between the 3, 4, and 5 starters in this rotation. It's overreaction based on last year's disaster. Josh Towers has worked hard to put last year behind him. Apparently Blue Jay management hasn't put forth the same effort and I think that's to the detriment of this team. I might have ultimately been proven wrong, but I would've welcomed the opportunity to be. I would've liked to see them exercise patience until: a) Zambrano had gone down to Syracuse to get stretched out b) Thomson had worked his way back from injury or c) McGowan had a half season in AAA to build up some confidence. This move smells like a knee-jerk reaction to me and the replacement has been, to be kind, putrid and is not stretched out to start.
Chicago, you may have a point there. The only thing I disagree with is the comment that this move may weaken the bullpen .
Josh came out and struck out the first 4 guys he faced last night. He didn't really falter until his second time through the lineup. Checking his other starts this year, he has had a little trouble in the first inning, but most of his serious problems seem to occur later in games in the 5th or 6th inning when he is coming through the lineup a 2nd or 3rd time.
If Towers can come in and throw gas for a few innings, he could be an effective setup man. It seems to have done the trick for Janssen this year. A lot of starters get a few extra MPH on their fastball in short appearances. As long as Towers is able to get loose quickly and pitch 3-4 times per week, this could work out ok.
Privately, I hope this change has been pitched to him in a positive way. That the Jays are disappointed with his momentary lapses, but they like how aggressive he is when he comes out of the gate, and think he can contribute coming out of the bullpen.
Better than a demotion to AAA, that's for sure. 5 star hotels and charter flights sure beat Motel 6 and long bus rides :)
Josh came out and struck out the first 4 guys he faced last night. He didn't really falter until his second time through the lineup. Checking his other starts this year, he has had a little trouble in the first inning, but most of his serious problems seem to occur later in games in the 5th or 6th inning when he is coming through the lineup a 2nd or 3rd time.
If Towers can come in and throw gas for a few innings, he could be an effective setup man. It seems to have done the trick for Janssen this year. A lot of starters get a few extra MPH on their fastball in short appearances. As long as Towers is able to get loose quickly and pitch 3-4 times per week, this could work out ok.
Privately, I hope this change has been pitched to him in a positive way. That the Jays are disappointed with his momentary lapses, but they like how aggressive he is when he comes out of the gate, and think he can contribute coming out of the bullpen.
Better than a demotion to AAA, that's for sure. 5 star hotels and charter flights sure beat Motel 6 and long bus rides :)
Let me be the first to say, "What?!?!"
Let me be the second to say, "What?!?!" Towers is better than Zambrano and he's better than Ohka. Might be better than Chacin as well. I really don't get this move.
Let me be the second to say, "What?!?!" Towers is better than Zambrano and he's better than Ohka. Might be better than Chacin as well. I really don't get this move.
I really don't see the logic in this move - Zambrano has been just as undependable as Towers
I'd rather see them give the to ball to Marcum
Pulling the third best starting pitcher on the team and replacing him with the eighth best starting pitcher on the team is confusing, to be sure.
For how good Towers ratios are, his IP suck.
If you're going to use that argument, perhaps you should have a look at Chacin and Ohka's IP as well. All 3 of them have 4 starts, and Towers leads the pack with 23 IP, Okha has 21.2 and Chacin, 22.
I don't like the move, because i don't think Towers has done anything to deserve a demotion, and I don't think Zambrano's done anything to deserve a shot in the rotation. That being said, if this is a 2 start shot for Zambrano to prove himself as a starter, or to try to stretch him out or something, then maybe it could make sense. And if Josh is actually able to repeat the early inning success he had last night perhaps he might be ok out of the pen. Realistically though i don't see this lasting long, and i hope that doesn't mean bad things for both Towers and Zambrano.
Hopefully Towers will be able to keep his head on his shoulder despite managements apparent attempt to screw with his head (again, imo)
If you're going to use that argument, perhaps you should have a look at Chacin and Ohka's IP as well. All 3 of them have 4 starts, and Towers leads the pack with 23 IP, Okha has 21.2 and Chacin, 22.
I don't like the move, because i don't think Towers has done anything to deserve a demotion, and I don't think Zambrano's done anything to deserve a shot in the rotation. That being said, if this is a 2 start shot for Zambrano to prove himself as a starter, or to try to stretch him out or something, then maybe it could make sense. And if Josh is actually able to repeat the early inning success he had last night perhaps he might be ok out of the pen. Realistically though i don't see this lasting long, and i hope that doesn't mean bad things for both Towers and Zambrano.
Hopefully Towers will be able to keep his head on his shoulder despite managements apparent attempt to screw with his head (again, imo)
I know, I know , we shouldn't speculate, but hey there'd be a lot less fans if no thought was ever given about the team.
I'm like everyone else and don't really understand this move. Therefore I wonder if there was a tiff yesterday between Gibbons and Towers. Towers doesn't seem like the type that would like being pulled after 4-2/3, and for whatever reason, it seems that Gibbons really has a short leash with him. Yes I realize he was brutal last year, but if you are willing to put him back in the rotation, then you have to give him a chance, otherwise you might as well dump him. I kind of see this going down the Dave Bush road of pitcher management.
I'm like everyone else and don't really understand this move. Therefore I wonder if there was a tiff yesterday between Gibbons and Towers. Towers doesn't seem like the type that would like being pulled after 4-2/3, and for whatever reason, it seems that Gibbons really has a short leash with him. Yes I realize he was brutal last year, but if you are willing to put him back in the rotation, then you have to give him a chance, otherwise you might as well dump him. I kind of see this going down the Dave Bush road of pitcher management.
Hey, I love Towers, but I'm all for finding someone who's done more than he has this year. Let's go down the line of Zambrano, Marcum, Janssen, McGowan and see if we can find someone who can do better.
I would rather have had Ohka be the one to be replaced, but I guess they see something more in Ohka than Towers. It will be interesting to see how this move looks in a month.
I would rather have had Ohka be the one to be replaced, but I guess they see something more in Ohka than Towers. It will be interesting to see how this move looks in a month.
I have a bad feeling that management's making the move for the reasons that ChicagoJaysFan has put forth - the bad feeling is because I think it's far more likely that both parts of this moves will impact the club negatively, rather than positively. Zambrano is almost guaranteed to pitch more poorly than Towers as a starter, given that the work he did in spring training has been completely wiped out by his infrequent use, and as stated by others before Towers has always been worse out of the bullpen rather than as a starter, and Josh's bullpen work replacing Zambrano's is probably at best only slightly better.
What I'd like to know is this: if Zambrano was always going to be first in line to replace the first of Chacin/Ohka/Towers to "falter" (and as actionjackson pointed out, that's some definition of "falter" they're using), why on earth didn't the club have Zambrano start the season in Syracuse to start on a regular basis, rather than having him languish in the bullpen, where his awful BB/9 ratio is even more glaring? The "let's start the season with the best 12 pitchers" strategy makes for a good sound bite, but the lack of planning regarding the back-end of the rotation as a result of this is particularly glaring right now.
What I'd like to know is this: if Zambrano was always going to be first in line to replace the first of Chacin/Ohka/Towers to "falter" (and as actionjackson pointed out, that's some definition of "falter" they're using), why on earth didn't the club have Zambrano start the season in Syracuse to start on a regular basis, rather than having him languish in the bullpen, where his awful BB/9 ratio is even more glaring? The "let's start the season with the best 12 pitchers" strategy makes for a good sound bite, but the lack of planning regarding the back-end of the rotation as a result of this is particularly glaring right now.
I'm utterly confused. I don't see the logic in making this move now. I was the same guy who questioned why Towers was in the rotation in the first place, but now he has pitched better than a reasonable man could expected from him and they yank him? The only answer here is that the Jays see Towers pitching reasonably well as not good enough for their rotation.
In a way I was wrong in assuming that giving Towers the slot meant the Jays had an obligation to give him repeated chances, as obviously that was not the case, but it seems like he was handed a ticking time bomb or to simply serve as a stop-gap until Zambrano was ready. I think this has more to do with strengthening slots 3-5 rather than just 5, as the Jays seem to be lured in by the upside of Zambrano and Ohka, rather than the adequate contributions of Josh to the #5 slot. It will be interesting to see how this plays out and hopefully it is going to be judged based soley on performance - as in if Zambrano (or Ohka) fails, bring on the next guy until someone sticks. The revolving door is a risky practice, but it beats the alternative of the name over substance approach that one might accuse the Jays of here.
Any chance the Jays could coax Darren Hall out of retirement? Jeez...
For a team that's 11-12, it feels more like 1-22. I honestly can't remember a more frustrating start to a season. Worse starts? You bet. But this one has just killed me so many times.
if Zambrano was always going to be first in line to replace the first
of Chacin/Ohka/Towers to "falter" (and as actionjackson pointed out,
that's some definition of "falter" they're using), why on earth didn't
the club have Zambrano start the season in Syracuse to start on a
regular basis
That's what I'm wondering, too, and it makes the decision to dump Francisco Rosario look even worse. First they drop him in favour of Accardo, who sits on the bench for the first couple weeks, now this - there's no reason why the Jays couldn't have given him a month or so to see if he can contribute. If you let him go on a talent basis it's one thing, but this just looks like the Jays don't know how to manage their assets, or aren't thinking ahead any more than five games at a time.
That's what I'm wondering, too, and it makes the decision to dump Francisco Rosario look even worse. First they drop him in favour of Accardo, who sits on the bench for the first couple weeks, now this - there's no reason why the Jays couldn't have given him a month or so to see if he can contribute. If you let him go on a talent basis it's one thing, but this just looks like the Jays don't know how to manage their assets, or aren't thinking ahead any more than five games at a time.
I missed the game. Is there any reason Troy Glaus left the game for John Macdonald? Is he injured again?!
It's something that isn't seen much, and I understand Gibbons' reluctance to do it, but I would have pinch ran Towers for Thomas and pinch hit Stairs for McDonald. I think that pretty much satisfies the need to run for the Big Hurt and allows someone better than JM to hit against Benoit.
This was about as ugly as games get. *Cries for Beej*.
This was about as ugly as games get. *Cries for Beej*.
Towers is on the short leash because his badness is particuarly fresh in everyone's mind, an aroma that still seems especially rank and foul.
The goodness of Ohka and Zambrano, such as it was, is even more distant, but everything they did happened somewhere else anyway.
Towers this year has been lucky and unlucky. His ERA is a lucky fluke - he's given up lots of runs that don't count against it, partially because he's thrown the ball away himself a couple of times. Which is new. On the other hand, I swear I haven't seen a Jays pitcher give up so many cheap, excuse-me hits since Al Leiter.
The goodness of Ohka and Zambrano, such as it was, is even more distant, but everything they did happened somewhere else anyway.
Towers this year has been lucky and unlucky. His ERA is a lucky fluke - he's given up lots of runs that don't count against it, partially because he's thrown the ball away himself a couple of times. Which is new. On the other hand, I swear I haven't seen a Jays pitcher give up so many cheap, excuse-me hits since Al Leiter.
if Zambrano was always going to be first in line to replace the first
of Chacin/Ohka/Towers to "falter" (and as actionjackson pointed out,
that's some definition of "falter" they're using), why on earth didn't
the club have Zambrano start the season in Syracuse to start on a
regular basis?
Because the Blue Jays value the development of their AAA starters more than the development of Zambrano.
Because the Blue Jays value the development of their AAA starters more than the development of Zambrano.
I'm not sure how important it is to "develop" Geremi Gonzalez, nor do I think the organization would suffer irreparable harm by putting Josh Banks or Ismael Ramirez in the bullpen for a month.
It's something that isn't seen much, and I understand Gibbons' reluctance to do it, but I would have pinch ran Towers for Thomas and pinch hit Stairs for McDonald.
I was thinking the exact same thing -- Towers to run for Thomas. (Given Towers' position in the food chain, I'm not sure that the typical risk-of-injury arguments would have served as a reason to preclude using him.)
I was extremely baffled that it was Smith who had earlier pinch-hit for Fasano and not Stairs (I certainly need that one explained to me), so it was bizarre that Stairs was held back to... what?... pinch-run? Bizarre.
Because the Blue Jays value the development of their AAA starters more than the development of Zambrano.
That may be, but I'd find such an argument more believable if it wasn't 2007, since management has said repeatedly that this is the year to seriously contend for the division. (Not that I'm advocating that the Blue Jays ignore the development of their AAA players who are likely to be able to contribute in the near future - for instance, I'm glad that they seem to be giving McGowan enough time to gain confidence.) This is how I see it: by the end of spring training, Zambrano was seen as an asset that could help the rotation if/when one of the incumbents wasn't cutting it. At that point, they decided to go with the "we're contending this year, we're taking the best 12 pitchers up north" plan and rewarded Zambrano with a spot in the bullpen, where he was infrequently used. From my point of view, it would have been more far-sighted to say "hey, he'll be a great benefit to the rotation further down the road, let's continue to get him stretched out in Syracuse so that he's ready to throw 6+ innings/start when he's needed", given that the club seemed to see him as an asset for the rotation.
I will grant that it's easy to criticize with the benefit of hindsight, but my main point is how puzzling I find today's move to swap Towers and Zambrano given how they've (mis)used Zambrano, especially when they're selling this move as one made in order to win games now (paraphrasing Jerry's quote of JP/Gibbons on today's broadcast). Stretching Zambrano out in the big leagues, where he'll be lucky to get through 3-4 innings on Wednesday (putting even more stress on a bullpen without BJ), just doesn't strike me as a move more likely to "win games now" than the status quo would've been.
All that said, as a die-hard Blue Jays fan, I'll happily eat crow if it means Zambrano stays in the rotation the rest of the way as an above-average 5th starter, while Towers becomes a dependable middle-innings fireman. At this point I'm just afraid that a negative result in both cases is quite a bit more likely, and I'm starting to find myself sympathetic to Leigh's "Strike" position in the other thread. Thankfully it's still just April 28, and youneverknow how decisions like this will work out until the games are played on the field, so I think it's valid to criticize this move, while still hoping that it all turns out for the best in any case :)
That may be, but I'd find such an argument more believable if it wasn't 2007, since management has said repeatedly that this is the year to seriously contend for the division. (Not that I'm advocating that the Blue Jays ignore the development of their AAA players who are likely to be able to contribute in the near future - for instance, I'm glad that they seem to be giving McGowan enough time to gain confidence.) This is how I see it: by the end of spring training, Zambrano was seen as an asset that could help the rotation if/when one of the incumbents wasn't cutting it. At that point, they decided to go with the "we're contending this year, we're taking the best 12 pitchers up north" plan and rewarded Zambrano with a spot in the bullpen, where he was infrequently used. From my point of view, it would have been more far-sighted to say "hey, he'll be a great benefit to the rotation further down the road, let's continue to get him stretched out in Syracuse so that he's ready to throw 6+ innings/start when he's needed", given that the club seemed to see him as an asset for the rotation.
I will grant that it's easy to criticize with the benefit of hindsight, but my main point is how puzzling I find today's move to swap Towers and Zambrano given how they've (mis)used Zambrano, especially when they're selling this move as one made in order to win games now (paraphrasing Jerry's quote of JP/Gibbons on today's broadcast). Stretching Zambrano out in the big leagues, where he'll be lucky to get through 3-4 innings on Wednesday (putting even more stress on a bullpen without BJ), just doesn't strike me as a move more likely to "win games now" than the status quo would've been.
All that said, as a die-hard Blue Jays fan, I'll happily eat crow if it means Zambrano stays in the rotation the rest of the way as an above-average 5th starter, while Towers becomes a dependable middle-innings fireman. At this point I'm just afraid that a negative result in both cases is quite a bit more likely, and I'm starting to find myself sympathetic to Leigh's "Strike" position in the other thread. Thankfully it's still just April 28, and youneverknow how decisions like this will work out until the games are played on the field, so I think it's valid to criticize this move, while still hoping that it all turns out for the best in any case :)
If you're going to use that argument, perhaps you should have a look at
Chacin and Ohka's IP as well. All 3 of them have 4 starts, and Towers
leads the pack with 23 IP, Okha has 21.2 and Chacin, 22.
I believe I did acknowledge that Ohka has done poorly as well. However, I also said that he didn't pitch nearly as poorly last year and I think as a result he deserves more time than Towers to prove he doesn't suck. Also, I remember hearing when Chacin first came up that he requires an unreal amount of time to get warmed up, so having him in the bullpen isn't an option - he's either a AAA starter or a ML starter, but not a reliever in either situation. Essentially the decision is to replace the bad starter who was horrible last year or the bad starter who had an ERA+ 50% higher than the other last year (again, that's 50%). I think the decision is obvious.
I believe I did acknowledge that Ohka has done poorly as well. However, I also said that he didn't pitch nearly as poorly last year and I think as a result he deserves more time than Towers to prove he doesn't suck. Also, I remember hearing when Chacin first came up that he requires an unreal amount of time to get warmed up, so having him in the bullpen isn't an option - he's either a AAA starter or a ML starter, but not a reliever in either situation. Essentially the decision is to replace the bad starter who was horrible last year or the bad starter who had an ERA+ 50% higher than the other last year (again, that's 50%). I think the decision is obvious.
I'm amazed at all the negative reaction to the switching of Towers and Zambrano. Last season, or even during the off-season, most Bauxites would have been ecstatic if they could have traded Towers for a healthy Zambrano. Now, on the basis of a handful of games this year, people have suddenly decided that Towers is better than Zambrano?? Usually we don't get such sentimentality from the hard-headed statistically-minded Bauxites. Nobody would argue that Royce Clayton or John MacDonald is better than Overbay or Rios just because of their batting averages so far this year, right? Normally we look at their history over the past couple of years, at least. So why would we dump all over Ricciardi just because of the pitching stats from a handful of appearances this year? In fact, the Jays strategy from the start of spring training has been to groom Zambrano for the starting rotation as soon as his arm would allow it, because he has a history as a moderately successful starter. So why are we condemning Ricciardi for deciding to proceed with this strategy, which most of us had supported from the day when Zambrano was signed?
Personally I don't think there's much to choose between the two pitchers, but I think it's at least a defensible move.