Ben Sheets knows how bad his record looks since the all-star break.
He just doesn’t believe it tells the entire story.
“I ain’t pitching great,” the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander said. “But I don’t think I’m pitching as bad as it’s made out to be.”
Sheets’ latest exercise in frustration came Tuesday night at Miller Park when two bad pitches resulted in a 5-2 loss to Houston before the Brewers’ 17th consecutive sellout crowd. The defeat dropped Sheets’ record in his last eight starts to 1-5 with a 4.06 earned run average.
When the Brewers acquired left-hander CC Sabathia from Cleveland in early July, the thinking was that the 1-2 punch of Sabathia and Sheets atop the rotation would be tough to beat. Sabathia has held up his end of the bargain, going 8-0 with a 1.60 ERA in nine starts.
But the Brewers have won only three of Sheets’ eight starts since that trade, limiting the impact somewhat. Sheets has heard more than once that he hasn’t lived up to his part of the co-billing, which he finds more than a bit irritating.
“I’ve pitched plenty of winnable games and pitched plenty of losable games during that stretch,” he said. “The first half, I came away with a lot of victories, pitching the same way that I have this half.”
That’s not exactly true. In 18 first-half starts, Sheets compiled a 2.85 ERA. In seven starts since the break, he has a 4.00 ERA.. Not horrible, but definitely a notch below.
It hasn’t helped that Sheets’ run support has been scant for the most part. Over his last eight starts, the Brewers have scored two or fewer runs four times, with a total of 26 runs (3.25 per game).
Wow, a lot of heat on a guy that just pitched his 3rd career CG shutout just 19 days ago and has allowed just 1 HR since the AS break in 45 innings.
BeanoCook
Posted: August 20, 2008 at 02:55 AM |
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Yet, people are acting like Sheets has been getting hammered. He has had 2 weak games, but the Brewers have scored a total of 5 runs in his 3 losses since the break. Oh, and Sheets has allowed 1 HR in since the break, 45 IP. I bet Sheets contention that he has pitched just as good after the break as before the break is pretty accurate, at least more accurate than the Milwaukee media would make it seem.
I wonder if Sheets is more right than people realize?
Compared to CC, he's Walt Terrell. That's the problem here... it's not that Sheets has been awful, it's that CC has been legen... wait for it...
dary.
Well, that puts the borden on Sheets.
And you encourage me by even getting the pun. I thought it was pretty far out there...a lot of better ones (IMO) go ungroaned at, to tell the truth.
Edit: I see now I need better glasses. Yours was good.
He's not walking guys. He's in the strike zone. But he just......can't......finish. Lots of foul balls and guys keeping at bats alive.
He has also made some legitimately bad pitches at bad times because his curveball hasn't been around consistently since the ASB. Against the Padres Ben threw maybe 10 curveballs during his stint and it finally caught up to him. Against the Astros more of the same.
And that was no changeup to Blum. That was a 89 mph fastball that just sat there in the middle of the plate. I have NO IDEA what Ben or Jason were thinking on THAT approach. Blum proved against Suppan that 89 mph pitches with no movement get crushed.
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