Last season, Sabathia was lights out. He was 19-7 with a 3.21 ERA as he dominated in his best season to date. He was particularly dominant after the All-Star Game, posting a 2.76 ERA in 15 starts.

Is it time to worry about Sabathia?

Well, first before we worry, we should try to figure out what is wrong with him. The first thing everyone thinks of is his contract situation. Sabathia can become a free agent at the end of the season. If he has a good season, Sabathia can become a very, very rich man. Is the pressure getting to him? It’s certainly possible.

Another possibility could be wear and tear. Last season, Sabathia pitched a baseball high of 241 innings, plus 15 more in the postseason. That’s a whole lot of innings, especially for someone who had pitched more than 200 innings only once in his career. Could the extra innings be the cause of his problems?

Again, it’s possible. In 2006, Bronson Arroyo led the majors in innings pitched and had an off season last year. Livan Hernandez led the majors in innings pitched in 2005 and played worse in 2006. In 2004, Randy Johnson pitched 245 innings and struggled the next season. While obviously this is a small sample size to look at, Sabathia carrying the load last season may be catching up to him this year.

So, should we worry about Sabathia? If it’s contract related, that’s something he should be able to get over once he relaxes (or signs an extension). However, if it’s wear and tear, this could very well be an off year for Cleveland’s ace. Not 13.50 ERA bad, however.

His next couple starts will be key. If Sabathia can’t show signs of turning it around, the Indians should consider putting him on the DL while they delve more into this issue.

Image details: Cleveland Indians Media Day served by picapp.com

Post from: Knuckle Curve

• The Mets beat the Marlins, 7-2. The planet’s best pitcher against a Triple-A squad — who could’ve have anticipated such a result? Uh, everyone.
• The Pittsburgh/Atlanta game was insane. The Pirates took a 9-4 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but the Braves tied. Then the Bucs jumped ahead in the 12th, 12-9, before allowing two runs in the bottom half and hanging on for a 12-11 victory. Xavier Nady, whom I’ve been following since he took home Cal League MVP honors in 2001 while playing for a great Lake Elsinore Storm club (Peavy and Mets left-hander Oliver Perez also played on that team, which went 91-49), knocked two homers, including the game winner.
• The Giants really stink. Good thing they’re paying Barry Zito all that money.
• The Brewers and Cubs ran a clinic on how not to close a game. Locked in a scoreless tie headed to the ninth, Milwaukee plated three runs in the top half off “closer” Kerry Wood, then watched “closer” Eric Gagne cough up three of his own in the bottom half. The Brewers scored in the top of the 10th and hung on to win, 4-3. Who got credit for the victory? The least deserving guy in the ballpark, of course: Gagne. The next time someone tries to tell you that a pitcher is good because of his won-loss record, remind them that the rules dictating how a win is “earned” don’t necessarily correlate with actually contributing to victory.
• Break up the Nationals. With Monday’s 11-6 drubbing of Philadelphia, they’re assured of finishing no worse than 2-160 this year.
• Livan Hernandez pitched well in his Twins debut. Actually, for all the grief Minnesota took in signing him, he matched Johan Santana’s line — two runs in seven innings — and got the win. Not that he’ll keep pace with Santana beyond, oh, right about now, but still…
• The White Sox seem to be a sexy dark horse candidate this season, but I just don’t see it. By my count, they’ve got about three or four good pitchers, depending on whether you believe Octavio Dotel can stay of the disabled list. One of them (Mark Buehrle) got absolutely pounded at Cleveland. Granted, the Indians will do that to a pitcher, but if the White Sox can’t win behind Buehrle, then what are they going to do when, say, Gavin Floyd toes the slab?

Good times, my friends. Good times…

Post from: Knuckle Curve

The other thing that bugs me about the DH is this: Why does he have to hit for the pitcher? I’m pretty sure that the Minnesota Twins, for example, would be better off hitting for Nick Punto when Livan Hernandez is on the mound.

Just sayin’…

Post from: Knuckle Curve

This is a great pickup by the Twins. Hernandez is 33 years old and has made 30 or more starts in each of the past 10 seasons. He isn’t likely to be more than a league-average starter, but he probably won’t be much less either. There’s value in running a guy out to the mound every fifth day who generally will keep you in the game. Just ask Carlos Silva, a similar pitcher who left Minnesota in December to sign a 4-year, $44 million deal with the Mariners.

Silva isn’t a bad pitcher, but neither is Hernandez. Why not go with the cheaper one? But you know me, I’m all about value…

Post from: Knuckle Curve