Bill Fogg

Boyd was gassed. He barely got through the 5th inning. On a warm night he gave us all he had. If you push him too far when fatigue is setting in, the chance of injuries [ or at least going off form ] increases drastically. We need him for the rest of September and the playoffs. I know our bullpen sucks, but the days of starting pitchers throwing complete games have long gone. The dangerous teams in the playoffs have great bullpens [ think S.D. and Brewers ] but we don't, and we didn't make a serious effort to upgrade our bullpen at the trade deadline.

Out of curiosity : Could this be the first time the winner of MVP award not have been a starting player on the All-Star team ? Either NL or AL ?

The # 1 job for Counsell the rest of the season is to find a suitable closer. Playoff games place a premium on bullpens; starters go 6-7 innings and having at least 2 quality setup pitchers [ more is even better ] is ideal for success. Counsell did an admirable job of mixing and matching with the bullpen arms he had available through the first 2/3's of the season but the inability of Hoyer to upgrade the bullpen will in all probability prove fatal when the playoffs start. Granted both Gausman and Holmes have been an enormous help but the only true reliever they brought in was Zeferjahn and his performance [ at least so far ] answers the question : with his 'stuff' why wasn't he serving in the closer's role for the Angels ? It appears that Ben Brown will not make a heroic recovery, Palencia doesn't look healthy, and dreaming that Shelby Miller will be the panacea is definitely a stretch. Virtually all of the bullpen arms have been 'getting lit up' lately and that is not surprising considering how much they overachieved earlier in the year. But baseball is baseball; did anyone predict that PCA would be playing at the level he has this year ? Surprises are part of baseball, let's hope they become pleasant surprises !

Where in the world are you compiling this information on arm angle, run ride, etc. ? You mentioned that Chris Sale, Josh Hadar and Jacob Misiorowski have more fluidity that allows them to generate more velocity on their pitches. While fluidity may be a factor I don't think we should discount their physical size [ height and arm length when extended ] . Their pitches do not travel as far because they are released closer to home plate than normal pitchers. And they arrive at home plate even quicker. But back to Palencia. I thought that he worked too hard before the season getting his arm [ and body ] into shape for the World Baseball Classic. He was outstanding during March as the closer that saved the title for his home country. I anticipated a drop off in his performance at the start of the regular season [ cold weather doesn't help ] and he eventually ended up on the DL not once but twice. The length of his last DL stint as well as his performance when activated makes me believe he is still not 100% and still dealing with discomfort in either his shoulder or elbow. I believe that he is still trying to fight through the discomfort and work himself into shape to be effective. He is a warrior and will give it a go until the results tell him it's time to shut down for the year. I agree with you that although I hope he can regain effectiveness, I anticipate that he won't get back to his 100% self until next year. One thing that I noticed is that when he is nursing his body when he comes into pitch [ due to soreness, pain, stiffness, etc. ] , he is sweating profusely. Something to watch for in his next few appearances. Question though : Do you think the change in arm angle is due to pain, soreness, or stiffness ? Are the Cub hurlers versed in their arm angles and the movement on their pitches ?

I would certainly hesitate to be critical of PCA and his defense and I have NO problem with how he played the ball in each of the situations shown. I would also like to point out that most outfielders are more aggressive in chasing balls in high leverage situations. Sensational catches in late inning close games are more valuable than risking injury diving at a ball early in the game. The 3 examples shown were in the 5th inning, 2nd inning, and 4th inning with the outcome of the game unlikely to be determined by whether he made a sensational catch or played the ball safely. I would note that I would prefer to see PCA a little bit more aggressive on the bases than what he has shown recently. I believe it was in the 3rd inning of a 1 run game that he singled to right field with either one out or no outs. Not only did he not attempt to steal but he did not take an aggressive lead or even fake a possible steal. It didn't matter because Suzki grounded into a fielder's choice but Busch followed with a Homer. If I was a scout at that game, I would note that he may be sore [ banged up or less than 100% ] and not the sb threat he usually would be unless it was later in the game and in a more important situation. If that is the case, it does land a little bit more credence to the author's [ Trueblood ] opinion that he may be less aggressive about diving for balls because he is less than 100%. PCA is HUMAN and not immune to fatigue, injuries, etc., and I would prefer that Counsell give him a day or two off down the stretch. He needs to be fresher for the stretch and the playoffs [ hopefully ] .

Interesting, I'm sure this will play out in September before the playoffs. I would suggest that Cabrera follow Imanaga instead of Boyd. Imanaga is the ultimate soft tosser in the entire league whereas Boyd has been known to hit 94-95 mph. Also we need to look at the teams that are virtually certain to be in the playoffs. Two of them appear to be weaker against left-handed pitching - Philly and the Dodgers. The Brewers and the Braves are more balanced in their lineup as would be the Padres and the Diamondbacks or at least no apparent disadvantage against lefty pitching.