Gausman pitching Saturday?

[allquixotic]

I agree that Gausman is as ready as he's going to be for the ML. It's not like we have better options that are more reliable.

We have Tillman, who found himself last year but has regressed significantly this year. He'll get his outs, but he's definitely not pitching like he belongs at the top of the rotation. His WHIP is high, his ERA is high; he hasn't been this bad since 2011 when he was basically Gausman (trying to find his footing in the bigs). We let him do it because we weren't in contention so it was whatever.

We have Jimenez, who has put together some nice starts and has showed us a "new" Jimenez that can find the strike zone on multiple occasions; but once in a while he still reverts back to 2014 Jimenez and walks the bases loaded. Probably our best experienced starter right now, though. I'd pitch him in a 1-game playoff for lack of a better option.

We have Chen, who's been pretty inconsistent, and has great difficulty with getting deep in games. He's not especially pitch-efficient, and his outs come on fly balls, which become doubles and home runs in the right (wrong?) weather conditions / ballpark geometry. However, his metrics look a bit better this year than last; he just doesn't get any run support. His Ks are up but so are his homers allowed. It's hard to tell if he's just putting together a good few starts or if he's actually working his way into a more elite category of pitcher.

We have Norris, who was a bona fide pitcher last year right up there with Tillman, but has regressed even worse than Tilly has this year. He put together a decent start last time up, but I don't trust him at all. He hasn't yet proved that he can return to 2013-2014 form.

We have Gonzo, who's probably our second-best experienced pitcher right now after Jimenez, and also hasn't regressed since last year (his ERA is a tick worse, but his WHIP is a tick better). He'll eat innings, and none of his individual metrics are eye-poppingly bad, but he doesn't bring electric stuff like Jimenez.

We have Wright, who looked incredible until he wasn't. SSS and all, so I'm withholding judgment. Those who follow the minors more closely tell us that he doesn't have as much upside as the likes of Gausman or Bundy, and I'm inclined to believe them.

We have Bundy, who gave us 1.2 IP in the bigs in 2012, and looks just alright in 8 starts at Bowie this year. Seems like this guy is taking forever to get ready. I guess TJ surgery does that.

So that brings us to Gausman. He's definitely not as ready as we'd like him to be. He needs to work on some pitches. BUT -- assuming he's healthy (and I'm staunchly against putting him in the bigs if he's not 100% healthy) -- I think he's definitely got more potential than at least 2 of our current starters, and possibly 3 (Norris, Tillman, and Wright/Wilson). Once he's healthy, I say we just go for it and let him sink or swim. If we can keep this offense going, we might be able to pull out wins even if he gives up some runs. I for one think he will rise to the occasion. I'm not seeing that out of Norris, sorry.

[Crazysilver03]

Why not stick him in the rotation in AA/AAA and let him develop? His secondary pitches will not get better up here without hurting the team. We don't want to be developing starters at the major league level. That's what struggling teams do once they're out of it.

If he needs to go to the minors, do it again at the beginning of next year so he can get a full year in. Wasting his last option for three months isn't worth it now.

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[LookitsPuck]

Looks like a disaster.

[profcleave46]

Indeed. He's brutal to watch.

[SteveA]

Indeed. He's brutal to watch.

I don't know. You have to take the lineup into account. They got one run because he was squeezed by the ump vs Donaldson and then we just missed turning a DP behind him. He did a great job getting out of the 2nd without further damage.

[Spakman]

Is he ever gonna develop a secondary pitch?

[LookitsPuck]

He's turned it around well, but I hate calling up a pitcher when he doesn't have enough innings logged and coming back from an injury. And hasn't proved that he was ready to come back.

[sfosfan]

Is he ever gonna develop a secondary pitch?

Great question on many levels. I see it a bit differently- I see a need for a more consistent off speed pitch, but that's just splitting hairs. Definitely a need to throw something other than the heat more often, no?

But then again, Kevin seems to throw two kinds of fastballs, one straighter than the other. That "should" count as a second pitch in my book. Kevin's slider has some good movement. The curveball in the 5th I just watched was awesome, and the one just now in the sixth at 84 mph was huge. But those pitches seem to be good enough to keep hitters honest, but not pitches he can rely on with a full count yet.

Was that a splitter Kevin threw in the first two innings that kept bouncing in the dirt? I think Bordy said Caleb was familiar with that pitch at Norfolk, but I don't recall anyone saying Kevin threw a splitter. I haven't seen Kevin throw that pitch since, so maybe that's the pitch he's working on now? I'd like to see more of his 80mph stuff instead. Regardless, Kevin holding Toronto to 2 runs through 6 innings (as I type this) is a very good reason not to worry about him.

[weams]

Looks like a disaster.

Indeed. He's brutal to watch.

I don't know. You have to take the lineup into account. They got one run because he was squeezed by the ump vs Donaldson and then we just missed turning a DP behind him. He did a great job getting out of the 2nd without further damage.

Is he ever gonna develop a secondary pitch?

I thought he looked real good against that team his first time back. His fastball sat 98 and he was squeezed.