by Hans on October 1, 2009
Last time he faced Detroit, Chicago’s new ace Jake Peavy threw seven shutout innings, striking out eight, and taking home his second American League W. He was acquired to do so much more, but at this point all he can really offer is the role of spoiler. With Minnesota’s 8-3 win over the Tigers, the Twins are now only 2 games out of the AL Central lead with only Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s games left.
Edwin Jackson and his 94.5 mph fastball take the hill against Peavy Friday night, but Jackson’s only beaten Chicago once in 7 career starts and holds a 5.66 career ERA against them. Moreover, his second half (4.53 ERA) has paled in comparison with his breakout first half (2.52 ERA). Can Detroit rely on him to take down former Cy Young winner Jake Peavy?
On Saturday, Detroit plans to run rookie Alfredo Figaro to the mound with his 15 2/3 innings of major league experience. The last and only time he’s ever faced the White Sox was last Saturday when he held them scoreless, albeit in only 2 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. Will MoTown really feel comfortable trusting a rookie on the last weekend of a playoff run?
So if Chicago fancies itself a solid spoiler and drops the Tigers for two in a row while the Twins down the Royals in similar fashion, Detroit’s hopes fall to one man.
This past Tuesday Justin Verlander, who has shown the American League’s fastest heater at 95.6 mph, proved his ability to perform his role as an ace under intense pressure. He threw 129 pitches over eight hard fought innings to win the second half of the doubleheader against Minnesota, saving a bullpen which had completed a 10 inning game earlier in the day and would need to throw 4 innings and 3 innings the next two nights.
Verlander’s truly blossomed this season. He has returned to throwing first pitch strikes under the tutelage of pitching coach Rick Knapp. His win total (18) is the highest of his career and his ERA (3.45) is the lowest. More importantly, he has shown that when his team needs him, he becomes the ace everyone always expected. If the hopes of Tigers fans come down to the quality of Justin Verlander’s arm, that’s just the way they want it.
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So Chicago’s 2007 first round pick and rumored candidate for a Jake Peavy trade earlier this year, Aaron Poreda, has been called up for his first cup of coffee, set to join the White Sox bullpen later this week. Coming out of spring training, this flamethrower looked like he might even win the 5th starter spot. For now, however, manager Ozzie Guillen has made it perfectly clear that his role will be as a reliever. But there is a growing debate as to what his future really holds.
Poreda stands at 6′ 6″, 240 pounds – that’s the same height and 15 pounds heavier than David Price for those counting at home. His fastball touches 100 and his slider is said to be pretty good too, leading to a great strikeout rate – 9.72 K/9. But to date, Poreda hasn’t developed any additional secondary pitches and has struggled with his control in AA Birmingham, posting a 4.94 BB/9.
A power fastball heavy 2 pitch repertroire have led some to suggest that he might be best suited as an understudy of and eventually replacement for closer Bobby Jenks. That line of thinking certainly seems to have support around the majors.
Jason Motte, a Cardinals reliever, offers a similar arsenal. He throws high 90′s heat that has touched 100, complemented by a decent slider. But being a converted catcher, Motte didn’t get the chance to truly develop secondary pitches enough to point to a career as a starter. After a difficult first month, the rookie posted a 1.64 ERA in May with 11 k’s in 11 innings.
Jonathan Broxton, Los Angeles’ 6’4″ 290 pound closer, throws heat that averages 97.4 mph along with a hard slider. He’s used this combo to be on pace for 35 saves, a 1.24 ERA, and 129 k’s in 79 1/3 innings.
Then there’s Brad Lidge. He ran 41 straight saves with a 1.95 ERA and 92 k’s in 69 1/3 innings last year. That mid 90′s fastball and hard, late breaking slider served him and the World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies quite well.
When you throw in the fact that Poreda is a southpaw, quite attractive in a reliever and certainly in a closer, the value just seems altogether too obvious. But what Motte, Broxton, and Lidge have on the White Sox former farmhand is control.
If Poreda can’t keep the fastball or slider from becoming balls and consequent free passes, hitters can either sit on the other pitch or look for the walk altogether. And nothing kills the value of a reliever like the habit of putting lots of men on base in close late game situations.
Hopefully, Chicago fans will see the 22 year old lefty develop in the limelight of the Cell.
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