Pitching? Who Has Pitching?
There are eight teams in the playoffs. They are supposedly the best eight teams in the major leagues yet not one has a decent pitching staff. Only Houston, a wild card team that eked into playoffs on the last day of the season, Boston, another wild card team, and Minnesota have two top pitchers. The others, including St. Louis, the winningest team this season and the Yankees, who were second to St. Louis in games won, all lack solid starters.
Houston has Roger Clemens and Roy Oswalt. Clemens won Houston's first playoff game against Atlanta despite walking six and struggling throughout the game. Oswalt pitched well in the second game but was taken out in the seventh inning in favor of Brad Lidge and the Braves, on a Rafael Furcal home run, yes the same Rafael Furcal who will go to jail on a DWI-breaking parole violation, won the game.
Clemens has been and still is a top pitcher. No discussion is necessary. Oswalt won twenty games, has done well when he is healthy, and is one of the better pitchers in the game. But after that, Houston has no reliable starter. Brandon Backe and Pete Munro don't conjure up images of Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan.
Boston has Schilling, who had a great season, and Pedro Martinez, who has been inconsistent at best and is hittable but who still has the aura of being Pedro. Then there is Tim Wakefield of Aaron Boone fame, Bronson Arroyo, and Derek (How low can you go) Lowe. Boston has two starting pitchers.
For Minnesota, there are Johann Santana and Brad Radke. Santana is for real and should win the Cy Young Award. Radke is merely a good pitcher who gives up too many hits but since he doesn't walk many batters, he does well. Radke had a 3.48 ERA, which in the 2004 American League is outstanding, but even this year, he has allowed 229 hits in 219 2/3 innings. Compare that to Clemens, who allowed 169 hits in 214 1/3 innings with a 2.98 ERA. After Santana and Radke, the Twins go to Carlos Silva, who gave up an amazing 255 hits in 203 innings but won 14 games (Who said, "run support?").
The other five teams have even less. The Cardinals have Matt Morris, who was an outstanding pitcher and might be again but who had a sub par season, Woody Willams, who had a good season but who has averaged only 11 wins a season, and Jeff Suppan, who surprised but even in surprising, had a 4.16 ERA and allowed more hits than innings pitched. The Cardinals Cris Carpenter might have finally blossomed, but he is out with an injury.
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