Johan Santana

Week Nine Rundown

Randy Johnson takes the headline for week nine with his chase for 300 wins.  He will be taking the mound on Wednesday in Washington against the horrid Nationals.  This will be his first try at reaching the milestone, after a couple tries to get to 299 wins.

Why is it that 300 wins for a pitcher is a seemly impossible feat to achieve? Could it be that the style of pitching has changed? Is that pitchers just are not pitching as long as they used to?

I don't know.

Pitchers starting in little league are taught it is easier to fool the hitter than it is to blow it by them. Not only that, pitchers are taught it is okay if they only go 5-for-6.

Come to think of it, pitching style has indeed changed.

On Wednesday, May 27, 2009 Randy Johnson will attempt to attain his 299th victory, bringing him within one game of 300. He would be the 24th pitcher of all time to reach such a milestone. 

The question on many minds this coming Wednesday is not "will Johnson reach 300" it is, "Will Johson be the last to reach 300?"

It has been said that the definition of stupid is doing the same wrong thing over and over again, and expecting a different outcome.

As cruel as it might sound, I believe the industry of baseball is stuck in this proverb. Continuing to use the same failed pitching mistakes continues to only lead a team into more and more losses. 

I believe New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel is a stupid person.

He obviously does not read my Bleacher Report articles.

The Monday Night Baseball game on May 12 (in which the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets) reminded me of a couple things.

Derek Lowe can pitch like an ace when needed, even if he doesn’t strike people out; he can get so many grounders it is ridiculous.

Jerry Manuel is a terrible manager. Pedro Feliciano is a lefty specialist, and Matt Diaz is a platoon player who destroys lefties. The bullpen gets the blame, but this one was on Manuel.

How much longer is Mr. Wilpon going to deal with Omar Minaya as the general manager of the Mets? What will it take for him to realize that he is the wrong man to be running this franchise?

Take a step back a couple of seasons. Minaya's bullpen wears down and the Mets collapse to finish off the 2007 season by losing 12 of their last 17 games and missing the postseason.

Johan Santana should be 5-0.

Mets fans know that best, but Marlins fans probably know that second-best.

That is because both Santana's one loss and his no decision have come against Florida. As it happens, Johan has faced Josh Johnson in both contests.

1. Zach Greinke, Royals Pitcher

Greinke is 4-0 with a 0.00 ERA. That's four starts and no earned runs given up yet.  Greinke is the most dominant pitcher in the majors right now but he plays for the Royals so not a lot of fans know about him or how good he is.

2. Chad Billingsley, Dodgers Pitcher

(Author's note: This article was originally posted here at www.aarontorres-sports.com)

Growing up in central Connecticut, the start of baseball season was as exciting as any time of year.