From AP Recap

 

Florida's Brian Moehler pitched six innings and allowed just four hits and one run, dropping his ERA to 2.05. The start was his first since April 24, but McKeon said he won't skip Moehler's turn next time.

 

Glad to hear it, he has been absolutely fantastic.

What a find he's turned out to be.

Will someone else? (We all know who.) Seems like a waste to push Beckett/Burnett/Dontrelle back and mess with their routine.

Could we turn Leiter into a long reliever?

finally jack will give moehler his starts again....this guy i think will be the permanent 5th starter if he keeps pitching this way....

Could we turn Leiter into a long reliever?

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don't think thats gonna happen...they brought him to start games not to relive...

It should be intresting to see what happens to Valdez when he comes back, because right now Moehler has earned his spot in the rotation and dosent deserve to be sent to the pen.

It should be intresting to see what happens to Valdez when he comes back, because right now Moehler has earned his spot in the rotation and dosent deserve to be sent to the pen.

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i think valdez will start in the bullpen...but if they do put moehler in the bullpen what a hell of a setup man we got then...

Could Moehler be suffering from the "Pedro effect"? When Pedro gets 6 or more days rest, he's lights out. Moehler had like a week off between starts, maybe he thrives on being skipped every now and then?

The depth in the rotation is a blessing. Kudos to Admin Beinfest on the Moehler pick-up. You can never have too much starting pitching. Valdez will be vital to the staff come August and September when there are no off days and the double-headers begin to mount.

 

You can tell that Beinfest was determined never to let what happened last year (poor Logan Kensing) occur again. Don't forget we still have Frank Castillo as an emergency starter as well.

 

:thumbup

Could Moehler be suffering from the "Pedro effect"? When Pedro gets 6 or more days rest, he's lights out. Moehler had like a week off between starts, maybe he thrives on being skipped every now and then?

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We'll find out soon enough.

 

But, I think it's unlikely considering the type of pitcher he is, and the fact that he did pitch out of the bullpen twice (?) between his last start and this one.

I hope he can keep it up. With the concerns about Leiter up in the air, it'll be good if we can have a reliable 5th starter to pick up the slack a bit.

Don't forget we still have Frank Castillo as an emergency starter as well.

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Now there's something that should help us sleep nights.

 

Castillo is barely holding his own in AAA. His 39 hits in 40 innings and 4.20 ERA certainly don't indicate to me that he's on top of his game or ready to fill a void every fifth day if called upon, but to his credit he does have major league experience and may be able to get by on saavy alone.

 

If Moehler can do it, perhaps Castillo has a chance to as well.

 

That said I agree with the rest of your post.

 

Moehler is doing what Al Leiter isn't, letting his defense work for him. Leiter's got to trust the guys playing behind him, and I think he knows it, but after two years of fronting for one of the worst defenses in the bigs in New York, he's an old dog that needs to learn new tricks.

 

Leiter's "stuff" is so much better than Brian's but the latter is using his head and the former isn't. In Leiter's defense he's pitched better than his record indicates and I have all the confidence in the world by the end of the season he'll be seen as a valuable pickup.

 

As for Valdez vs Moehler, Valdez has already lost his job to the other guy, and as long as Moehler keeps going out and throwing six innings of one-two run ball Valdez is going to be on the outside looking in. It isn't a matter of sending Moehler to the pen upon Valdez' eventual return, it's whether Valdez can make the transition to the pen when he's ready to pitch.

...and who knows when Valdez is going to be ready. Last update of any kind I heard on him was in the middle of April, when it was determined that his bone wasn't calcifying properly and he'd need to wear a boot. So, this could take a while before we come to the eventual log-jam.

You can tell that Beinfest was determined never to let what happened last year (poor Logan Kensing) occur again. Don't forget we still have Frank Castillo as an emergency starter as well.

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I think that was the plan a year ago and a year before that. The team entered 2003 with Burnett, Beckett, Penny, Pavano, Redman and Tejera coming off a servicable if not promising performance in a sixth starter role. In 2004, they added Darren Oliver as a 5th starter and traded for Ben Howard, who had done very well in an extended call-up starting for the Padres, even though Burnett was coming back in May or June.

 

Neither Moehler or Castillo came with as much hype.

When Valdez returns, I'd move Leiter to MR and let Moeller continue to start. Let's not forget, Leiter has shown nothing this season so far.

When Valdez returns, I'd move Leiter to MR and let Moeller continue to start. Let's not forget, Leiter has shown nothing this season so far.

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That just isn't true.

 

Leiter has had a couple of rocky starts but he's also had a couple of quality starts that he eventually didn't figure into because of lack of run support. There's no question Leiter is in the twilight of his career and his last few starts have been very troubling but that said, he still has (at least in my mind) what it takes to contribute every five days.

i say we keep throwing this guy while he's hot, if leiter continues to struggle we should move him down in the rotation

Its not that Al is pitching bad all the time, because he's not, its just that he's caught some tough breaks along the way. Look, he pitched well against the Braves in the First homestand, then went into Shea Stadium and pitched well enough for the win. Other than getting rocked by the Mets here at home and against the Rockies, he has pitched better than his record indicates. However you can tell at times that he's struggling more than he should be out there and that could hurt us in the long run.

When Valdez returns, I'd move Leiter to MR and let Moeller continue to start. Let's not forget, Leiter has shown nothing this season so far.

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That just isn't true.

 

Leiter has had a couple of rocky starts but he's also had a couple of quality starts that he eventually didn't figure into because of lack of run support. There's no question Leiter is in the twilight of his career and his last few starts have been very troubling but that said, he still has (at least in my mind) what it takes to contribute every five days.

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Other than his matchup against Pedro, didn't Al load up the bases in his two wins in the 2nd inning both times?

Gainesville, I don't think you're hearing (or reading in this case) people who are generally supportive of Leiter suggesting he's pitching lights out, or is without problematic stretches. For myself I believe he needs to make an adjustment in his approach - giving his teammates the chance to make plays behind him instead of trying to carry the burden himself.

 

When he does that I still believe he'll be a contributor rather than impediment to the team's success.

Don't forget we still have Frank Castillo as an emergency starter as well.

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Now there's something that should help us sleep nights.

 

Castillo is barely holding his own in AAA. His 39 hits in 40 innings and 4.20 ERA certainly don't indicate to me that he's on top of his game or ready to fill a void every fifth day if called upon, but to his credit he does have major league experience and may be able to get by on saavy alone.

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in his defense, the PCL is a launching pad in every stadium, so a 4.20era is pretty solid

Moehler has proven himself and i'm glad to see he won't be skipped. If anyone gets skipped, it should be Leiter.

Don't forget we still have Frank Castillo as an emergency starter as well.

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Now there's something that should help us sleep nights.

 

Castillo is barely holding his own in AAA. His 39 hits in 40 innings and 4.20 ERA certainly don't indicate to me that he's on top of his game or ready to fill a void every fifth day if called upon, but to his credit he does have major league experience and may be able to get by on saavy alone.

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in his defense, the PCL is a launching pad in every stadium, so a 4.20era is pretty solid

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Yep.

Teams are averaging 5.28 runs per game so far in the PCL.

So which is it?

 

What I usually hear about the PCL from people here is that the pitching in the league is so weak it makes even the most mediocre hitter look good.

 

Now it seems you're saying wow the guy must be a good pitcher because he's only giving up a hit an inning to all these great hitters.

 

Which is it?

 

( Don't get me wrong I hope the guy does well and heaven forbid we need him, he excels. )