[外電] Starting to worry
From:http://tinyurl.com/2l8vop
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Starting to worry
O's staff has struggled with short outings, high ERAs this spring
By Jeff Zrebiec | Sun reporter
March 25, 2008
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - There have been few good days for the Orioles'
projected starting rotation recently, so when they occur, they are certainly
worth celebrating. Adam Loewen, who has struggled all spring, had a solid
outing yesterday, holding the New York Mets to one run in five innings in the
Orioles' 1-0 loss at Fort Lauderdale Stadium.
Loewen allowed two hits and walked three batters and has allowed 29 base
runners in 12 1/3 innings this spring. But for one day, concerns about his
surgically repaired elbow and balky shoulder were eased.
The concerns about the rest of the rotation aren't expected to go away
anytime soon.
"I'm always going to be concerned about the pitching," said manager Dave
Trembley, who still hasn't decided on a fifth starter. "We're only going to
be as competitive as our starting pitching allows us to be. That's the name
of the game, starting pitching."
There have been some discouraging signs for Trembley and first-year pitching
coach Rick Kranitz. All four of the definite starters -- Jeremy Guthrie,
Steve Trachsel, Daniel Cabrera and Loewen -- are faring worse this spring
than last.
And though it's foolish to put too much stock in spring ERA -- pitchers often
use the games as an opportunity to work on things while getting their arms in
shape -- the Orioles also aren't getting as many Grapefruit League innings
from their rotation as they'd like.
Far too many starts have ended prematurely because of high pitch counts and
poor command in the early innings. That's certainly alarming after the staff
struggled all last season to get deep in games, a factor that led to bullpen
burnout early in the year.
"Kranitz has made up for it on the back [fields] with simulated games, plus
the fact that being a first-year pitching coach here, he wanted to give
everybody a look, which I think he did and is doing," Trembley said. "I think
he's more concerned with getting guys' pitch counts up than innings pitched.
But ... I'm looking at this week as being a week where we get everybody on
track."
Trachsel, Cabrera and Loewen will each get one more spring start this week,
but their innings totals still figure to fall short of their output last
spring. Guthrie, the Orioles' Opening Day starter, will surpass his total,
but he started last season in the bullpen, so getting him innings last spring
wasn't as big of a priority.
Loewen, who was shut down last May after making six starts, has thrown only
12 1/3 innings this spring after throwing 22 last year. He has an 8.03 ERA
compared with a 1.64 ERA in six spring appearances in 2007. Trachsel had a
4.50 ERA in 26 innings last spring, compared with a 6.92 ERA in 13 innings
this year.
"Obviously, I'd like to try to get guys in the 20- to 24-[inning] range and
with the simulated games, we're going to achieve that," Kranitz said. "The
only guy we're a little bit lower on is Loewen. But I think everything is
coming together OK. I like what we have, but obviously, you have to wait
until the bell rings."
Trembley still hasn't announced who will follow Guthrie in the rotation. Jon
Leicester, a fifth starter candidate, will pitch today, followed by Guthrie
tomorrow, Trachsel on Thursday, Cabrera in Friday's Grapefruit League finale
and Loewen in Saturday's exhibition game against the Washington Nationals at
their new ballpark.
The way the pitchers are lined up would seemingly indicate Trachsel will be
in the No. 2 spot, followed by Cabrera, Loewen and whoever wins the fifth
starter job. (Matt Albers and Brian Burres are the front-runners.) That
decision might wait because the Orioles won't need a No. 5 starter until the
second week of the season because of an early day off. However, Trembley
cautioned reporters to not read too much into this week's setup.
Regardless, the Orioles' opening rotation will be littered with question
marks. Cabrera lost 18 games last year and continues to fight command and
consistency issues. Loewen is coming off elbow surgery and has made just 25
major league starts.
Guthrie had a strong rookie season, but had a 5.03 ERA after the All-Star
break and has only 27 big league starts. Trachsel has to execute perfectly to
have success.
"I think we have some really good pitchers, but the true test will be to see
how each one of us will perform," Guthrie said. "I think outside Steve and
Daniel to some degree, each one of us is really trying to establish ourselves
and show that we can be consistent over the course of a 162-game schedule.
There is a lot to be proven."
Loewen took the first step yesterday. He threw first-pitch strikes to 14 of
19 batters after being unable to find the strike zone in his last outing.
"This kind of wipes my slate clean," Loewen said. "Having all that time off
and then not throwing so well in the beginning, there were doubts about when
I would put it together. But I always felt that I was very close to having a
good outing ... and I finally put it all together today. I'd say it's a
relief."
jeff.zrebiec@baltsun.com
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