Jamie Moyer: God Damn It

If you’re going to make the first inning a 1-2-3 affair, barely giving your opponent the chance to squeak out a gasp of offense, you are setting the bar like a champ.  Jamie Moyer’s top half of the first inning last night sent a message to the Rockies:  All night long, baby.  There’s no denying, he got to the mound juiced and ready to mow down some hitters.

Everything that followed was a cancellation of that impressive opening.

Moyer pointed a bazooka at the Rockies dugout, but when he pulled the trigger, all that came out was a flag with “KABOOM” written on it.  Disappointing, you might say, especially for anyone who spent part of yesterday arguing in his defense.

Inconsistency is the fuel of disappointment, and Moyer is doused in it.  When he’s on, he’s…well, just read yesterday’s post. When he isn’t, things turn sour pretty quick.

If the question marks are being raised about which names we’re going to to see rounding out the rotation, and Moyer’s big issue is his inconsistency, than why the fixation on Pedro?  Why are we so anxious to send Happ behind the centerfield fence, when his 7-2 record, 2.97 ERA has him within the top 10 pitchers in the league?  I’m not going to say something asinine, like he’s better than Halladay.  But if he’s truly “fighting” for his spot, than he’s doing a damn good job.

If you wanted to see extra effort and stellar pitching from a guy as proof that he deserves something, than…I mean, you’re seeing it.  If its between Pedro and Happ, I would pick Happ, because he hasn’t been on rehab assignments in the minors, he’s been playing professional baseball…very well.

However, there’s also the “bullpen experience” angle.  Happ’s been in it.  Pedro’s a starter, but has said that he will play where they tell him to play.  Moving Jamie Moyer to the bullpen just doesn’t seem appropriate.  So, it’s Happ’s spot in the bullpen earlier this season that may cost him his job as a starter.  I guess that’s his fault for succeeding consistently, no matter where he is pitching from.

It’s a paradox, but only if you consider going to the bullpen “losing.”  It hardly seems fair, but I realized that is becoming the connotation of the headlines:  That somehow, one of these skilled pitchers is going to “lose” and have to sit next to Brad Lidge.

If too many pitchers is our biggest problem, than we are in great shape.  I’m just happy that we held onto Happ, and if he has to end up taking his terrific season into the bullpen, fine.  The only wild card is how Pedro and his arm are going to react to his first start without the word “rehab” floating around.

As some Mets fans were strolling into Citizens Bank Park a few weeks back (during a game against the Cubs, but leave it to a Mets fan to show up uninvited), they started making trouble with a Phillies fan.

“We got Pedro now!” the Phillies guy chirped.

“You know what?  You can have him!” the Mets fan called back.  Then he gave the finger to a bunch of kids and defecated on a tree.

We will have him.  You will have a fourth place finish.

At least it’ll be tougher to collapse when you’re already at the bottom.  But you’ll find a way.  You always do.