Sunday, August 31, 2008

Dusty Baker's Legacy Of Greatness Rears It's Ugly Head

Have you ever heard of something called a "pitch count"? I bet you have if you have any idea about baseball. Well our old friend Dusty Baker never knew what it meant. Take a look at this gamelog of Zambrano's from 2004, but be ready to be pissed off when you look at how many pitches he threw. Why bring this up now? Well, according to the Sun-Times, Zambrano has a tight triceps and is going to be on a short leash for the next few starts. Here's why:
[T]he Cubs and Zambrano believe the right-hander has muscle fatigue in his triceps, and he has been going through lighter workouts to rebuild his arm strength.

''You can't compare him with a lot of people because I don't know anyone who has logged the innings he has in the last six or seven years,'' pitching coach Larry Rothschild said. ''We're trying to get the arm stretched out and strengthened. ... He knows he's not throwing the ball the way he wants to, and anyone would get frustrated. He's a big strong guy and expects a lot out of himself.''

No I don't know anyone else who has logged the innings he has either. Wait wait, I can think of two that were logging those minutes, and their careers have never been the same. (See: Mark Prior and Kerry Wood) Dusty Baker was the man who left these guys in forever, even when they were too young, too tired, or just overworked. I only hope they can get Z healthy again for the playoffs. We're going to need him.

Next Week: Why walks clog the bases starring Dusty Baker favorites Neifi Perez and Corey Patterson.

**UPDATE: Apparently big Z has been scratched from the start today. Marshall will make the start.

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