amag
09-02-2002, 08:39 PM
09/02/2002 6:26 pm ET
Stephenson needs to impress
By Matthew Leach / MLB.com
http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/stl/news/stl_news.jsp?ymd=20020902&content_id=119698&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp
ST. LOUIS -- God and the training staff willing, the Cardinals will soon be back to seven starting pitchers. That's good news for manager Tony La Russa and the legions of St. Louis fans, but it might be bad news for Garrett Stephenson.
Stephenson (1-5) endured a rough outing Monday against the Reds. He was touched for five runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking out three and walking one. His ERA now stands at 6.39. It was Stephenson's second start since returning from the disabled list, and it was the second time he just wasn't sharp.
In fairness to Stephenson, the results from his first game back were fine. He notched four shutout innings. But that was more because of good breaks and better defense than it was to Stephenson being at his best.
"Last time was zero runs. This time was five," Stephenson said. "My mechanics are coming back, and I'm working, I guess, on the mental part. I made some not very good decisions today on my pitches."
Stephenson was in trouble in four of the five innings he started on Monday. More important, he didn't take the kind of step forward you would hope to see in his second game.
"That's what you hope for," pitching coach Dave Duncan said. "The thing that was missing early on was location. He was up in the zone with a lot of pitches. That's the biggest thing. His curveball wasn't quite as good as you expect it to be. That's what got him in trouble."
Twice on Monday, Stephenson gave up big hits after going to two-strike counts. Those were mental mistakes, not the kind of physical errors you might expect from a pitcher returning from an injury. It did not go unnoticed by his manager.
"He made a few too many mistakes," La Russa said. "A couple 0-2 mistakes that led to three or four runs. He wasn't real sharp but he competed."
In about a week, La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan will have to make a decision. Matt Morris is scheduled to return from the disabled list early next week. He will probably start Monday or Tuesday in Milwaukee, which would allow him to make his second start the following weekend in Houston. That will bump someone from the rotation.
In addition, Jason Simontacchi will be recalled from Triple-A Memphis this week. Simontacchi ranks second on the Cardinals in starts and wins. He has had some rough starts recently, but he has been a steady contributor all year.
"I'd say that he's got a lot of competition," Duncan said of Stephenson.
Figure that Morris, Chuck Finley and Woody Williams are sure things to remain in the rotation. That leaves Stephenson, Simontacchi, Andy Benes and new acquisition Jamey Wright to duke it out for two spots. These games in early September aren't just battles for playoff position -- they're auditions.
"I think everybody that goes out there and pitches -- except for Morris if he's healthy, and what we've seen from Finley and Williams -- everybody's pitching to be one of the guys that gets the ball from here to the end," La Russa said.
The decisions, when they're made, won't be based on who looked good or bad. Mitigating factors will get only slight consideration. When the Cardinals look at who should pitch against Houston and Arizona later this month, and perhaps further down the road at a playoff rotation, there will be only one question. It's a simple question, too: who gets hitters out?
"It's all results right now," Duncan said. "We've got to win. We're gonna put the guy out there we think gives us the best chance to win the game. If it's Garrett, it's Garrett. If it's somebody else, it's somebody else."
Matthew Leach covers the Cardinals for MLB.com. He can be reached at Matthew_H_Leach@yahoo.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs
Stephenson needs to impress
By Matthew Leach / MLB.com
http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/stl/news/stl_news.jsp?ymd=20020902&content_id=119698&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp
ST. LOUIS -- God and the training staff willing, the Cardinals will soon be back to seven starting pitchers. That's good news for manager Tony La Russa and the legions of St. Louis fans, but it might be bad news for Garrett Stephenson.
Stephenson (1-5) endured a rough outing Monday against the Reds. He was touched for five runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking out three and walking one. His ERA now stands at 6.39. It was Stephenson's second start since returning from the disabled list, and it was the second time he just wasn't sharp.
In fairness to Stephenson, the results from his first game back were fine. He notched four shutout innings. But that was more because of good breaks and better defense than it was to Stephenson being at his best.
"Last time was zero runs. This time was five," Stephenson said. "My mechanics are coming back, and I'm working, I guess, on the mental part. I made some not very good decisions today on my pitches."
Stephenson was in trouble in four of the five innings he started on Monday. More important, he didn't take the kind of step forward you would hope to see in his second game.
"That's what you hope for," pitching coach Dave Duncan said. "The thing that was missing early on was location. He was up in the zone with a lot of pitches. That's the biggest thing. His curveball wasn't quite as good as you expect it to be. That's what got him in trouble."
Twice on Monday, Stephenson gave up big hits after going to two-strike counts. Those were mental mistakes, not the kind of physical errors you might expect from a pitcher returning from an injury. It did not go unnoticed by his manager.
"He made a few too many mistakes," La Russa said. "A couple 0-2 mistakes that led to three or four runs. He wasn't real sharp but he competed."
In about a week, La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan will have to make a decision. Matt Morris is scheduled to return from the disabled list early next week. He will probably start Monday or Tuesday in Milwaukee, which would allow him to make his second start the following weekend in Houston. That will bump someone from the rotation.
In addition, Jason Simontacchi will be recalled from Triple-A Memphis this week. Simontacchi ranks second on the Cardinals in starts and wins. He has had some rough starts recently, but he has been a steady contributor all year.
"I'd say that he's got a lot of competition," Duncan said of Stephenson.
Figure that Morris, Chuck Finley and Woody Williams are sure things to remain in the rotation. That leaves Stephenson, Simontacchi, Andy Benes and new acquisition Jamey Wright to duke it out for two spots. These games in early September aren't just battles for playoff position -- they're auditions.
"I think everybody that goes out there and pitches -- except for Morris if he's healthy, and what we've seen from Finley and Williams -- everybody's pitching to be one of the guys that gets the ball from here to the end," La Russa said.
The decisions, when they're made, won't be based on who looked good or bad. Mitigating factors will get only slight consideration. When the Cardinals look at who should pitch against Houston and Arizona later this month, and perhaps further down the road at a playoff rotation, there will be only one question. It's a simple question, too: who gets hitters out?
"It's all results right now," Duncan said. "We've got to win. We're gonna put the guy out there we think gives us the best chance to win the game. If it's Garrett, it's Garrett. If it's somebody else, it's somebody else."
Matthew Leach covers the Cardinals for MLB.com. He can be reached at Matthew_H_Leach@yahoo.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs