Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Stults sent back down to Triple-A

One man's arrival is another man's dismissal.

Eric Stults was the odd man out when Clayton Kershaw was recalled, as he was sent back down to Triple-A Las Vegas to make room. It was a bit of an unexpected move, but with so many relievers being used these last 2 games in Colorado, it makes sense.

Joe Torre indicated that the main goal of Stults will be for him to regain his aggressiveness, and not nibble away at the strike zone. Looking at the stats, you can see what Torre is talking about. He won his first 2 games quite easily, going 6 in Cincinnati and a complete game shutout of the White Sox.

After that, it was up and down. He started walking about 3 guys a game, and was clearly getting hit around more. Still, he only has a 3.18 ERA, even with his poor start in Colorado. If he goes back to trusting his stuff, the results show that he can be very good.

Of course, he's probably just a little angry that he was sent down for Kershaw, who was pounded even worse in his start yesterday. But, having solid, lefty starters is not easy to come by, so don't forget his name. He'll be a factor again at some point.

No comments: