Ethan Martin Wondering Where 60-pitch Limit Gets Him

Ethan Martin had eight strikeouts through three innings yesterday, then exploded.

He’s the guy that inspires confidence when he’s got gas, and creates despair when he’s out. And he’s only one or the other.  The middle ground in an Ethan Martin performance is not big enough to stand on, let alone pitch from.

So, he finished with nine K’s for the day, but walked three, and gave up three runs on four hits. He struck out the side in the second, gave up a home run in the fourth, blah blah blah, the bullpen came in, oh god no, Phillies lose by seven runs.

Afterward, Martina admitted he tends to last about 60 pitches before he is drained of bodily functions.  That’s a pretty exact number, and one that is not the length of a start, ideally.

Ethan Martin-to-the-bullpen has been widely presumed, rather than dusting him off a seat in the 2014 rotation. As always, who the hell knows what will wind up looking good.  Maybe Rich Dubee will have him make an adjustment and unlock the other 40 missing pitches.  Or maybe Rich Dubee will be cold and unmerciful, and create a rift between he and Martin alienating the 24-year-old and taking an even bigger toll on his psyche.

So this seems like an easy one – his track record, his abilities, the Phillies’ needs, but with so much time left in the year, we’re obviously going to keep experimenting.