The Pitching Apocalypse Is Here

Two developments this week point directly to the ridiculous ways in which pitching staffs are being managed and pitching decisions are being handled. Exhibit No. 1 could be found with the Brewers, who actually went with a 14-man pitching staff for a day; that is believed to be a major league record number of pitchers on an active roster, not counting the month of September, when rosters are expanded to a maximum of 40 players. It is preposterous to think that a team needs a 14-man pitching roster--even for a single day. That amounts to five starters and nine relief pitchers. It is getting to the point where MLB needs to think seriously about imposing a limit on the number of pitchers that can be an on an active roster at any one time, much like the NFL limits the number of quarterbacks who are available on game day. That way, we might be able to avoid these embarrassing scenarios where teams are repeatedly using pitchers as pinch-hitters. My goodness, this is supposed to be the major leagues, where the highest quality of baseball is played. And that can't possibly happen when pitchers continue to pinch-hit, and position players are asked to play positions they've hardly ever played before in their careers. That's what the Cardinals did with Albert Pujols this week, asking their fragile-shouldered superstar to play second base because Tony LaRussa insists on carrying a 13-man pitching staff.

Exhibit No. 2 of the pitching apocalypse involved the Rockies last night. Their starter, Mark Redman, a guy who hasn't been effective since 2003, allowed ten runs in the first inning against the Dodgers. As if that wasn't enough, the Rockies then allowed Redman to start the second inning, ostensibly because they didn't want to blow through their bullpen. This is why you have a long reliever--or at least why you should-- a durable pitcher who can give you four or five innings as a way of saving the rest of the staff. But that seems to be an impossibility nowaways, where headlines are made if a relief pitcher is allowed to pitch more than an inning at a time. And what kind of a message do you send to your fans when you give the ball back to a lousy starting pitcher who couldn't get through the first inning without giving up double digits in runs? Shameful.