azdad1978
Championship!!!!
By Dan Zeiger, Tribune
As a member of the Chicago Cubs two years ago, Shawn Estes belonged to one of the most exclusive major league fraternities: No. 5 starting pitchers who are full-time starters.
The left-hander never had a start skipped due to an off-day, even though he was on the tail end of a rotation that included Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Carlos Zambrano and Matt Clement.
“With our five guys, they didn’t want to skip anyone,” said Estes, who is now pitching for the Diamondbacks and will start tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Bank One Ballpark.
“They were paying me $3 million, and they weren’t going to skip me. It’s different with a young guy who might just be coming up.”
Usually, the No. 5 starter is a pitching nomad, journeying back and forth from rotation to bullpen depending on his team’s schedule — especially in April and early May, when off-days are more prevalent.
It is not a task suited for every starting pitcher. He needs to be flexible, starting one day, then preparing to work in relief because his next turn in the rotation is not for another 10 days.
And if a guy doesn’t like it, well. . .
“The flip side is that you pitch in the minor leagues,” Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. “You would rather be here, so that’s something a guy has to deal with.”
Dealing with it on the D-Backs is 24-year-old southpaw Brad Halsey, who Melvin tabbed for the No. 5 spot at the end of spring training. His season debut will be in Arizona’s seventh game, on Monday against Colorado.
The D-Backs need a fifth starter on April 18 and April 23. Due to an off-day, a nine-day gap will follow before another No. 5 is required on May 3.
“It’s something to get used to, but it’s a role that I’m excited about,” said Halsey, one of three players Arizona acquired from the New York Yankees in the Randy Johnson trade.
“It’s a new challenge. When you reach (the majors), things are not always going to be on your regular schedule. You’re going to be asked to do some things you haven’t done before.”
If Halsey pitches well, Melvin said, he could go with five full-time starters and use the off days to give his hurlers extra rest between turns.
“We’ll see how he does after his first outing,” Melvin said. “If we feel like we can go with four as the off-days permit, then we will.”
The Cubs’ Dusty Baker was not the only manager to go against traditional fifth starter wisdom in 2003. Melvin also did so.
As skipper of the Seattle Mariners, Melvin utilized five full-timers: Jamie Moyer, Freddy Garcia, Gil Meche, Ryan Franklin and Joel Pineiro. Seattle became the first club since the five-man rotation became the norm in the 1970s to use the same starters all season.
“We felt so good about every one of those guys that going with all five all the time was the right thing to do,” Melvin said.
Halsey fits one of the molds of a No. 5 starter — a youngster who is willing and able to adapt to different roles.
Among those who also take the fifth:
- Veteran pitchers who are not established starters but have the versatility for the fifth spot.
- Guys who are simply keeping a rotation spot warm for an injured pitcher.
“In the off-days early, your fifth guy has a dual role,” D-Backs pitching coach Mark Davis said. “That guy needs to be adaptable and understand that his flexibility is what allows him to be in the major leagues.”
Still, a lack of regular game routine due to skipped starts can contribute to bad April numbers for No. 5 guys. Some examples from 2004 include Colorado’s Denny Stark (0-2, 16.20 ERA), Cincinnati’s Jimmy Haynes (0-2, 9.58 ERA), Houston’s Tim Redding (0-3, 10.22 ERA) and Anaheim’s John Lackey (0-3, 8.04 ERA).
Davis said an effective between-starts schedule of relief appearances and bullpen sessions is vital.
“You need to get on the mound as often as possible,” Davis said. “I don’t like for guys to go more than three days off the mound, either in the game or on a side. You try to give guys as much mound time as you can without overusing them.”
Halsey, for example, was to toss a simulated game on Wednesday, but he wound up working four innings of relief in the D-Backs’ season opener on Monday. As a result, he threw a brief side session on Wednesday.
“The toughest thing is to stay sharp,” Halsey said. “You’ll find that your command suffers when you are not working on a regular routine. You just have to find a way to make it work.. . .
“I’m confident that our program will allow me to be as prepared as I can possibly be when I make that start.”
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=39237
As a member of the Chicago Cubs two years ago, Shawn Estes belonged to one of the most exclusive major league fraternities: No. 5 starting pitchers who are full-time starters.
The left-hander never had a start skipped due to an off-day, even though he was on the tail end of a rotation that included Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Carlos Zambrano and Matt Clement.
“With our five guys, they didn’t want to skip anyone,” said Estes, who is now pitching for the Diamondbacks and will start tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Bank One Ballpark.
“They were paying me $3 million, and they weren’t going to skip me. It’s different with a young guy who might just be coming up.”
Usually, the No. 5 starter is a pitching nomad, journeying back and forth from rotation to bullpen depending on his team’s schedule — especially in April and early May, when off-days are more prevalent.
It is not a task suited for every starting pitcher. He needs to be flexible, starting one day, then preparing to work in relief because his next turn in the rotation is not for another 10 days.
And if a guy doesn’t like it, well. . .
“The flip side is that you pitch in the minor leagues,” Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. “You would rather be here, so that’s something a guy has to deal with.”
Dealing with it on the D-Backs is 24-year-old southpaw Brad Halsey, who Melvin tabbed for the No. 5 spot at the end of spring training. His season debut will be in Arizona’s seventh game, on Monday against Colorado.
The D-Backs need a fifth starter on April 18 and April 23. Due to an off-day, a nine-day gap will follow before another No. 5 is required on May 3.
“It’s something to get used to, but it’s a role that I’m excited about,” said Halsey, one of three players Arizona acquired from the New York Yankees in the Randy Johnson trade.
“It’s a new challenge. When you reach (the majors), things are not always going to be on your regular schedule. You’re going to be asked to do some things you haven’t done before.”
If Halsey pitches well, Melvin said, he could go with five full-time starters and use the off days to give his hurlers extra rest between turns.
“We’ll see how he does after his first outing,” Melvin said. “If we feel like we can go with four as the off-days permit, then we will.”
The Cubs’ Dusty Baker was not the only manager to go against traditional fifth starter wisdom in 2003. Melvin also did so.
As skipper of the Seattle Mariners, Melvin utilized five full-timers: Jamie Moyer, Freddy Garcia, Gil Meche, Ryan Franklin and Joel Pineiro. Seattle became the first club since the five-man rotation became the norm in the 1970s to use the same starters all season.
“We felt so good about every one of those guys that going with all five all the time was the right thing to do,” Melvin said.
Halsey fits one of the molds of a No. 5 starter — a youngster who is willing and able to adapt to different roles.
Among those who also take the fifth:
- Veteran pitchers who are not established starters but have the versatility for the fifth spot.
- Guys who are simply keeping a rotation spot warm for an injured pitcher.
“In the off-days early, your fifth guy has a dual role,” D-Backs pitching coach Mark Davis said. “That guy needs to be adaptable and understand that his flexibility is what allows him to be in the major leagues.”
Still, a lack of regular game routine due to skipped starts can contribute to bad April numbers for No. 5 guys. Some examples from 2004 include Colorado’s Denny Stark (0-2, 16.20 ERA), Cincinnati’s Jimmy Haynes (0-2, 9.58 ERA), Houston’s Tim Redding (0-3, 10.22 ERA) and Anaheim’s John Lackey (0-3, 8.04 ERA).
Davis said an effective between-starts schedule of relief appearances and bullpen sessions is vital.
“You need to get on the mound as often as possible,” Davis said. “I don’t like for guys to go more than three days off the mound, either in the game or on a side. You try to give guys as much mound time as you can without overusing them.”
Halsey, for example, was to toss a simulated game on Wednesday, but he wound up working four innings of relief in the D-Backs’ season opener on Monday. As a result, he threw a brief side session on Wednesday.
“The toughest thing is to stay sharp,” Halsey said. “You’ll find that your command suffers when you are not working on a regular routine. You just have to find a way to make it work.. . .
“I’m confident that our program will allow me to be as prepared as I can possibly be when I make that start.”
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=39237
