Baker should be institutionalized

[Nero]

It's AMAZINGLY dumbfounding..

First Wood goes for 141 pitches in 7 innings...now last night Prior throws 124 pitches in 6 innings...

and this with a 9-4 lead while starting the 5th...

Is there ANYONE that can rationalize this type of workload????

The ONLY thing that occurs to me is that he's not actually working for the Cubbies but is either still on the SF payroll or LaRussa's.

It's not as if a manager didn't get fired just a *couple of days* in great part for his mismanagement of a young pitching staff. It seems to me that if you're going to pitch for the Cubs you need to look out for yourself and pull yourself out of a game before your arm comes flying out of the shoulder socket.

I wonder what sort of pitching strategy is being used to get such high pitch counts. Wood had only let up 1 ER I believe through 7...I can't remember how many hits so let's use Prior as an example.

6 IP means 18 batters faced + 4BB + 7H = 29 batters faced all together since there were no pickoffs or rundowns

124/29 = 4.5 pitches per batter which WAY too high

Look at Glendon Rusch who Prior faced last night...the guy got shelled

3.1 IP is 10 batters faced + 2BB + 13 H = 25 batters faced

84 pitches/25 = 3.4 pitches per batter

You'd think Rusch would be the guy working the counts in trying to induce ground ball outs.

Now lets go back and look at Kerry's last game

141/29 = 4.9 pitchers per batter

Granted the game was closer since the Cubs had taken the lead in the 6th 2-1.

But still, there's a pattern here that isn't just about how long these pitchers are being left in. It's about what these pitchers are learning in terms of how to face batters. Some guys HAVE to be easy out. Not every batter can be a strike out victim and working the count is a technique to be used on occasion, not with every single batter. Apparently Dusty is telling his boys that they have to K every hitter they face.

I'm not an expert on this matter but I am sure some of you are. Really, what the hell is going on here? Can we get Peter Gammons to go have a chat with Baker?

[jdh]

Well, after Wood's 141 pitch performance, I traded him away for Mulder. I would suggest that everyone try to get rid of Cubs starters while they can still get full value and before Baker drives their arms into the ground, which will happen eventually. Even in a keeper league, I wouldn't want Prior or Wood for that matter, because they are more likely to become the next AJ Burnett rather than the next Pedro. If you can get one of Oakland's trio, Morris, Oswalt or even Mussina for Prior or Wood, I would do it. They are both ticking time bombs.

[Super GM]

Baker has never been known as a pitchers manager like Bobby Cox is. One reason, why the Braves pitching has been so successful (aside from the Leo Mazzone factor) is that Bobby Cox knows when to pull a pitcher. Torborg didn't. Baker does, but he just doesn't care. He wants to win, no matter what it takes. Even if that means that Prior or Wood throw 150 pitches in five innings.