August 20, 200323 yr Check out this article! Notes: Radar not a concern By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com [Get tickets]Get tickets DENVER -- Normally, Marlins rookie left-hander Dontrelle Willis doesn't check out the radar gun readings in the stadium when he pitches. But he has heard the rumblings from television observations and through the grapevine that his velocity was down in his last start, Saturday at Pro Player Stadium against the Padres. The 21-year-old, who wasn't involved in the decision and had consistently been in the 89-92 mph range, triggered 86-89 readings. Rarely did he top 90. Willis threw a bullpen session at Coors Field Tuesday and said his arm feels strong. And the Marlins are not concerned about gun numbers, primarily because they are not always entirely accurate. Of late, the radar at Pro Player Stadium has been inconsistent. "I don't look at the gun," said Willis, who gave up three runs in six innings against the Padres. "They vary. I'm usually about 90. I don't get into it. Sometimes when I pitch it's 88 or 89. I feel good. In the outing I gave up seven runs, I was throwing 92 to 94. Go figure." Willis is referring to his worst day as a Major Leaguer, when he was tagged for seven runs in two innings against the Dodgers. Since being called up from Double-A on May 9, Willis has admirably stood up to immense pressure. Not only has he excelled, posting an 11-3 record (3.18 ERA), but he was selected to the All-Star Game and subjected to countless interviews. Through it all, he has stood up to the challenge of learning the rigors of the Major Leagues while dealing with off-field distractions. Marlins general manager Admin Beinfest notes Willis is approaching a pitch count he's never reached before. Still, there is nothing in how the rookie has performed worrisome enough to believe he is tiring -- at least not wearing down any more than other pitchers would this late in the season. Willis has thrown 113 1/3 innings with the Marlins. Counting his 36 1/3 innings at Double-A Carolina, he has logged 149 2/3 total innings. A year ago, while in low Class-A and high Class-A, Willis threw 157 2/3 innings. "He's a young pitcher who hasn't done it before," Beinfest said. "But there are no other signs [of concern]." Beinfest adds that like a hitter, Willis must made adjustments. "He's been pretty darn consistent," Beinfest said. And valuable. The Marlins are 15-4 when he starts. And without question, the Marlins wouldn't be in Wild Card contention if not for the D-Train. Bench coach Doug Davis, formerly the Marlins minor league field coordinator, doesn't see fatigue being a problem. "You can't expect that explosive stuff after every outing," Davis said. "Nobody does that. I'm sure they are asking that the same question about Randy Johnson [who had a rough last outing in Atlanta]." Willis' next start is Friday at San Francisco. Due to Monday's off day, all the pitchers get an extra day of rest. Credit:Flamarlins.com
August 20, 200323 yr They ought to be concerned. He's not doing as well as he did before the All-Star break, and his lowered velocity might have a lot to do with it. If Dontrelle can't regain his pre-ASG form, then the Marlins are in trouble unless they finally make a move to improve the offensive output coming from the OF.
August 20, 200323 yr The Pro's radar gun has ben screwed-up for a while now. But FishFry, why are the Marlins in trouble if Dontrelle can't get hs ERA down from barely 3.00 to 2.50? We've been winning with and without his masterpiece starts...
August 20, 200323 yr Dontrelle Willis since the All Star Break: vs Cubs, 2IP 6h 6ER 3bb 1k vs PHI, 6IP 3h 1er 3bb 5k vs ARI, 7IP 4h 1er 2bb 8k vs STL, 8IP 5h 3er 1bb 6k vs LA, 2IP 6h 7er 3bb 1k vs SD, 6IP 7h 3er 1bb 5k 2 crap starts every 6 starts isnt that bad, and if our fielding isnt so crappy vs LA, we may not even be talking about this.... im not too worried about The Train
August 21, 200323 yr The last thing we need is for D-Train to get an arm injury! I hope the Fish don't overpitch him. If they do after they ruined Burnett's arm we should be really mad!However I'm not too concerned because we have a new pitching coach and manager. Velocity is the least important element of pitching, but it does worry me that his velocity is decreasing...
August 21, 200323 yr But FishFry, why are the Marlins in trouble if Dontrelle can't get hs ERA down from barely 3.00 to 2.50? We've been winning with and without his masterpiece starts... They're in trouble, because if he keeps pitching like he's pitched since the ASG (half of his starts being crap starts - and yes his start against San Diego was a crap start, he was very lucky the Pads only scored 3 ER off of him; and 3 ER in 6 innings = a 4.50 ERA for the game) where his ERA has gone from 2.56 to 3.18, that cuts the Marlins staff down to a 3-man staff. Frankly, I wouldn't want the season to rest on Mark Redman's arm. The Marlins are (barely) an above average offensive club and a middle-of-the-pack pitching club. If the ERA goes up just a little, then the Marlins are going to start losing more and more games unless they improve the offense. They've lost a lot of firepower with Alex Gonzalez coming back to Earth, and that needs to be replaced. Juan Encarnacion needs to come off the bench if this team is going to have to offensive legs to keep up with Philly or hold off Arizona. Getting shut down in Colorado is not a good thing. Even if the Marlins do make the playoffs, their offense (as it stands now) doesn't stand-up well against San Fran, Houston, St. Louis, or Atlanta. They've only got 2 consistent producers on offense - Mike Lowell and I-Rod. They're one bat away.
August 21, 200323 yr a couple of things FishFry Willis made 1 bad pitch to Bennett, otherwise, DW pitched pretty well and why does Encarnacion, our 2nd leading rbi man, need to come off the bench?
August 21, 200323 yr I think he meant to say schnide. There are still people out there that think I will kill you sucks
August 21, 200323 yr that i will kill you sucks? i dont get it I call Enc that sometimes, he gives the pitcher an "I will kill you" expression when he is hitting.
August 21, 200323 yr 3 ER in 6 Innings = Quality Start Quality Start = B.S. statisitic that needs to be modified to 2 ER in 6 IP or 3 ER in 7 IP to have any sort of meaning. A 4.50 ERA is not "quality".
August 21, 200323 yr a couple of things FishFry Willis made 1 bad pitch to Bennett, otherwise, DW pitched pretty well and why does Encarnacion, our 2nd leading rbi man, need to come off the bench? Willis was shaky all throughout that game. And he was lucky JP saved him from having 3 more ER tacked on to his tally that night. 20 ft. to the right or the left and that great grab Pierre made in CF becomes a bases-clearing double. Encarnacion should come off the bench, because he's not all that good, and is more suited to a bench role. He's the starting RF and is barely maintaining an OPS over .760. That's sad for a championship-caliber team.
August 21, 200323 yr That's more like a mediocre performance. the fans are getting spoiled now....expecting a wonderful game everytime 6ip and 3er is quality for a 21yr old kid like dontrelle are some fans now gonna jump off the bandwagon now as quickly as they came on because their Beloved D-Train cant pitch perfect everytime? (im not referring to you on that one Fishfry)
August 21, 200323 yr the fans are getting spoiled now....expecting a wonderful game everytime 6ip and 3er is quality for a 21yr old kid like dontrelle are some fans now gonna jump off the bandwagon now as quickly as they came on because their Beloved D-Train cant pitch perfect everytime? (im not referring to you on that one Fishfry) A 4.50 ERA for a 21-year-old kid = a 21-year-old kid who should be at AAA. I don't expect perfection, but I'm not going to say that his start vs. San Diego was acceptable, especially when the team's hopes of contention really rest on him being able to pitch well. 3 ER in a shaky 6 innings of ball (which featured 7 hits over those 6 innings) is not pitching well and barely qualifies as mediocre when it takes a great grab to stop it from being 6 ER. I don't dislike Dontrelle, and I'm still behind him; but the reality is, the season rests on him. The Marlins are going to need more of 1st half Dontrelle and less of 2nd half Dontrelle.
August 21, 200323 yr a couple of things FishFry Willis made 1 bad pitch to Bennett, otherwise, DW pitched pretty well and why does Encarnacion, our 2nd leading rbi man, need to come off the bench? Willis was shaky all throughout that game. And he was lucky JP saved him from having 3 more ER tacked on to his tally that night. 20 ft. to the right or the left and that great grab Pierre made in CF becomes a bases-clearing double. Encarnacion should come off the bench, because he's not all that good, and is more suited to a bench role. He's the starting RF and is barely maintaining an OPS over .760. That's sad for a championship-caliber team. Encarnacion is one of the better RFs in the league. His average should be higher, true, and he never has been a big homerun hitter. But he brings the runs home and saves runs (which you can't count) with great defense and an arm that not many will test on a second to home scoring attempt.
August 22, 200323 yr In what league? AAA? are you crazy? Encarnacion has a gun in right ..amazing arm he has an above average bat, and i think he's gonna hvae a breakout year next year.
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