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Don't step into the Rangers' house unless you're ready to dodge a few of the locals.
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=== Lesson Learned #4 ===
GS-24? Lesson learned is simple. You know what to do, Mr. Security Guard.
... Wedge has used him gingerly, and brought him into a zero-leverage spot this time.
85.8 MPH on the fastball, and he doesn't throw the slider because it's really just a 75 cut fastball now. Seen enough? Supposing that Anthony Vasquez came to camp and executed exactly these pitches?
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=== Lesson Learned #5 ===
Erasmo is ready to be a plus starter in the American League, starting on April 14, 2012. ::shrug:: Whenever yer want to win, feel free.
He had everything we'd seen before, every item on the bullet list, and a cherry on top of each mini-scoop. The poise was superb for an ML debut against such a lineup. The changeup had excellent drop. The slider bit hard in to lefties, serving as a type of super-cutter / change hybrid, swerve plus parachute arm action.
It took him just a couple of batters to completely relax, and then he was having fun out there.
A signature strikeout pitch for him will be: that 2-2 and 3-2 fastball, 94 mph right on the black. Called strike three. Doug Fister with more velo. When the catcher does not move his mitt, the ump is going to call that pitch.
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This EXACT game, this one right here, this is why I resent pulling the magazine out of the rifle before wading in after the alien. You've got pitchers who can ring up K's, and you're dinking around with technical trainees who are just flat not ready to beat the Texas Rangers at Arlington.
It should be Felix, Vargas, Paxton, Erasmo, and Millwood. Ah, whatever. It's just a baseball game. It's not like it's spears, war nets and arena lions. Go with the 3-K command guy tomorrow. Maybe the fly balls will hit the warning track.
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=== Lesson Learned #6 ===
Noesi has better stuff, and is more raw, than we expected.
What we expected, at this point in his arc, was a 93 mph groundball machine, a guy who pumped a lively fastball with command, producing lots of weakly-hit balls and a 5 K ratio. Okay, fine. A 100 ERA+ starter for the league minimum. $8M net value hard on the barrelhead
What we actually got was a Matt Garza in embryo, emphasis on the "in embryo." The stuff was MUCH better than last year. The fastball produced clusters of foul tips straight back and over the dugout; he threw it by the Rangers constantly, including their lefty hitters such as Hamilton. The slider and change moved TWICE as much as last year, and the arm action had the Rangers frozen. Really good stuff. You could see the Rangers were having difficulty seeing the pitches, early on.
He had zero command within the zone. His mechanics, his release point, which is what caused the yanked pitches early. Sometimes it comes off his fingers wrong. Other times he jerks his head left. Lots of times he just leaves offspeed stuff up. There's so much shimmy in the machinery, it's hard to imagine how long it will take to correct it all.
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Hector has a live arm and he is making progress. Hey Gordon. Just how long would you estimate until this guy has enough reps, and gets on top of his own game? Half a year? One and a half years?
Listen, nobody ever said that Hector Noesi was a certified AL(TM) starting pitcher. He's got very little ML experience beyond what Erasmo Ramirez, or you, have. It's going to be a while, it says here, before Noesi has his own slop together. Before he does, I'm thinking The Ballpark is not the right crib for him. At least Blake Beavan has his own slop together. At least he got that much.
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It ain't that Hector lost a game. The Rangers beat good pitchers. It's that he is so early in his career, and it's four pitches to nail, and it ain't like he's an inch away.
I'd swap Hector out for Erasmo, NEXT START OH YEAH BABY, and do the ballclub a favor. Like Earl says, there are 24 other guys to whom the shot-callers have a grave responsibility. Let Hector get on top of his own game, and let him do it out of the bullpen.
Or not,
Dr D