Should we shut down Prior and Zambrano?

[Crash]

Seeing as how Dusty again today let Z in for more than 100 pitches when we had a 9 run lead, should Hendry just completly shut them down to protect them? Maybe in a week or two into September so the roster expansion doesn't make it a short bench.

 

Any success we have next season is going to be based on these two pitchers. Obviously Dusty isn't going to take the proper care with them in meaningless games. Should Hendry just put in an executive order that they sit down? There are no playoff chances and neither is going for the Cy Young. It isn't like with Derek going for a possible MVP. Shut them down and save the wear and tear.

[imb]

id be fine with it, but it wont happen.

[Brian]

There is no way Z would go for that.

[CuseCubFan69]

I say pitch them with 3 days rest so that way the Cubs can have some more arms in the pen.

[rawaction]

No reason to shut Prior down. Just watch him more closely. I think him finishing this season would be big for him. Only a freak linedrive kept him from missing starts this year.

 

No real reason to shut Zambrano down either. Just allow him to throw 85-95 pitches each time out and don't keep him out there with unnecessarily huge leads.

[CuseCubFan69]

No reason to shut Prior down. Just watch him more closely. I think him finishing this season would be big for him. Only a freak linedrive kept him from missing starts this year.

 

No real reason to shut Zambrano down either. Just allow him to throw 85-95 pitches each time out and don't keep him out there with unnecessarily huge leads.

 

I don't agree with shutting them down either but Baker just does not have a clue on how to run a pitching staff. Why in Gods green earth was Z out there in the 8th?

[Backtobanks]

No reason to shut Prior down. Just watch him more closely. I think him finishing this season would be big for him. Only a freak linedrive kept him from missing starts this year.

 

No real reason to shut Zambrano down either. Just allow him to throw 85-95 pitches each time out and don't keep him out there with unnecessarily huge leads.

 

I agree with you about monitoring both of them for the rest of the season. 85-90 pitches for both of them in each start will give them a good shot at a win and will give the Cubs a chance to evaluate some guys out of the bullpen.

[Crash]

No reason to shut Prior down. Just watch him more closely. I think him finishing this season would be big for him. Only a freak linedrive kept him from missing starts this year.

 

No real reason to shut Zambrano down either. Just allow him to throw 85-95 pitches each time out and don't keep him out there with unnecessarily huge leads.

 

See that would be my prefered method as well. Don't sit them down just be very careful with them. But Dusty has demonstrated that he will not do that. He let Z go well over 100 pitches with a 9 run lead today. He let Prior throw 131 pitches in a game earlier this week. He simply has not shown in his tenure with the Cubs that he will be careful with a starter, even in meaningless games.

 

So without a manager that will protect his best pitchers does it fall to Hendry to remove them from the power of the manager? Unless Hendry can mandate to Dusty that they don't go over 95 pitches the only way to protect them is to shut them down. I agree Mark and Carlos would want to finish out the season. But just as they have to be protected against Dusty, the Cubs have to protect them from themleves.

 

 

On a side note Prior did miss a few starts at the beginning of the season because of the injuries during spring training. But you are right, except for a freak play he would have pitched 95% of the year.

[Brendan]

just a question: if there isn't any real medical reason to shut down a player, would the union even allow it? can they even prevent it? it would seem to me that (one of) the most important factors in getting paid is past performance. and, if shutting down a player for seemingly unnecessary reasons prevents him from getting wins/ks or hr/rbi, the lower numbers could be a hinderance during contract negotiations.

[YearofDaCubs]

Dont shut them down but put them on a strict pitch count.

[EricG]

just shut Dusty down.

[Balsa]

I would disagree. I'd let them pitch to about each pitcher's average amount, maybe given a little leeway depending on when they're batting or what inning it is. You'd wear out the bullpen if you cut them out too fast or sit them down after 5 innings. I know our pitchers have had their injuries, but it's just part of the game. Both are young pitchers yet, and could stand to gain from more experience.

[CubfaninCA]

Good luck getting any free agents, if they decide to throw in the towel. This team needs lots of help.

[Crash]

I would disagree. I'd let them pitch to about each pitcher's average amount, maybe given a little leeway depending on when they're batting or what inning it is. You'd wear out the bullpen if you cut them out too fast or sit them down after 5 innings. I know our pitchers have had their injuries, but it's just part of the game. Both are young pitchers yet, and could stand to gain from more experience.

 

Given the expanded rosters in september the Bullpen will have more than enough arms to take the load of strict pitch counts on Prior or Zambrano.

 

 

Good luck getting any free agents, if they decide to throw in the towel. This team needs lots of help

 

And trading Lawton for a minor leaguer and trying to get Kerry to have surgery is not "throwing in the towel"? Free agents are not going to shut out the Cubs because they tried to protect two or their most important players. The 5 biggest considerations for a free agent are 1. Money 2. Money 3. Money 4. Money and 5. a chance to win. Accepting reality in september and protecting your players will not affect that.

 

(Besides which the Cubs have done this in the past. Prior's rookie season they shut him down in September after the hamstring injury. He could have come back for a few weeks but they were out of the race. Smarter heads prevailed and they just shut him down.)

[MeatampPotatoesMan]

pitch counts don't mean a whole lot. laboring matters, not pitch counts.

[mhuber92211]

Don't you think Dusty came out to get Z in the 8th today and Z told him that he wanted to finish. He wasn't alboring, was just at 98 pitches and wasn't in too much trouble. I say leave him in. Let him keep going with that competive fire.

[Careless]

Don't you think Dusty came out to get Z in the 8th today and Z told him that he wanted to finish. He wasn't alboring, was just at 98 pitches and wasn't in too much trouble. I say leave him in. Let him keep going with that competive fire.

... zambrano could take a line drive to the head so hard that the ball got stuck in his skull and he'd still tell dusty he didn't want to come out. Zambrano's right arm could literally fall off and he'd try to pitch with his left. The question is never "what does zambrano want?" but "what is best for the team"

[Balsa]

Don't you think Dusty came out to get Z in the 8th today and Z told him that he wanted to finish. He wasn't alboring, was just at 98 pitches and wasn't in too much trouble. I say leave him in. Let him keep going with that competive fire.

... zambrano could take a line drive to the head so hard that the ball got stuck in his skull and he'd still tell dusty he didn't want to come out. Zambrano's right arm could literally fall off and he'd try to pitch with his left. The question is never "what does zambrano want?" but "what is best for the team"

Please, whattya gonna do now? Make him avoid stairs because he might fall down and land on his arm?

 

He's a PITCHER. Those risks come along with pitching, and there's nothing you can do about them, except hope they don't happen. Taking Zambrano out in that case would probably do more harm to him and the team than leaving him in. I know freak accidents have happened to our pitchers, but they're "freak" accidents, you don't take the ball from a pitcher's hand when he can and wants to finish the 8th inning. What does that say about your confidence in the pitcher? What does that do to team morale?

[Careless]

Don't you think Dusty came out to get Z in the 8th today and Z told him that he wanted to finish. He wasn't alboring, was just at 98 pitches and wasn't in too much trouble. I say leave him in. Let him keep going with that competive fire.

... zambrano could take a line drive to the head so hard that the ball got stuck in his skull and he'd still tell dusty he didn't want to come out. Zambrano's right arm could literally fall off and he'd try to pitch with his left. The question is never "what does zambrano want?" but "what is best for the team"

Please, whattya gonna do now? Make him avoid stairs because he might fall down and land on his arm?

 

He's a PITCHER. Those risks come along with pitching, and there's nothing you can do about them, except hope they don't happen. Taking Zambrano out in that case would probably do more harm to him and the team than leaving him in. I know freak accidents have happened to our pitchers, but they're "freak" accidents, you don't take the ball from a pitcher's hand when he can and wants to finish the 8th inning. What does that say about your confidence in the pitcher? What does that do to team morale?

Ok, have him throw every inning of every game for the entire season. go nuts.