Unfortunately, Humber's #s don't seem particularly impressive yet (except for SO:BB ratio, looks reasonable at ~3.5:1), and his splits don't show any improvement from April to July. I would hope that Pelfrey and Humber develop into solid pitchers, especially given how hyped they have been. But at this point I haven't seen anything that tells me either one will be a truly great pitcher, a legit #1.
Any predictions on Pedro? Will he be as good in his return as he keeps talking himself up to be? Hard to imagine, but if so that would completely change the look of this team. His #s with the Mets in '05 and April of '06 were tremendous, and would give the rotation an enormous boost. His return to even a reasonable level would make an impact that can't be overstated.
Speaking of injuries, what's the word on Alou and Sanchez? I heard Alou's not back until August. What about Sanchez? Will either one return in form to contribute? If so, expect Mets to pull away from Braves.
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Some more "stuff": for what it's worth, these home/road splits are interesting:
Team: Home / Road
1. LAD: 26-20 / 26-20
2. SD: 25-20 / 25-20
3. ATL: 25-21 / 25-21
4. NYM: 26-20 / 25-20
5. MIL: 32-14 / 19-26
First, I find it interesting that so many top NL teams have the same record at home as on the road. This is not the case in AL, where most teams have at least a 3-4 game differential between home/road split. Second, boy does milwaukee hate playing away from home. That's striking compared to other top NL teams.
Weird splits. Interesting though.
The numbers on Humber don't scream "call me up," but I can't get discouraged either. Don't forget, the kid's pitched less than two full years in the minors, and he's already advanced to the highest level of minor league play and done it well (if not dominantly this year).
It would be instructive to know what he's up to in the minors, this year. I mean, I can live with less than dominant numbers if it's b/c he's taking the time to throw his third or fourth best pitch in circumstances where he'd be more comfortable with the fastball or the hook. If he's developing the change, and suffering through a few bruises until he gets to the point where he's comfortable throwing it in tight spots (i.e., behind in the count, bases loaded, etc.), it will be worth it to have a year with less than optimal numbers.
On the other hand, if he's not developing those weaker pitchers, and just getting hammered, that would be no good at all.
As far as I'm concerned, Alou and Sanchez are done. Until I see Alou run full bore after a line drive in LF and not seize up, he's just wishful thinking. Sanchez (as we discussed last year) is done for his career, in all likelihood. Based on the description of the severity of his shoulder injury, it seemed like a pipe dream when they said he'd be ready to pitch opening day. Sure enough, the first time he cranked the engine up to full speed, POP goes the shoulder. I wouldn't be surprised if the rest of his ML career consists of 7 IP, 16 H, 18.00 ERA.
If Sanchez makes it back, I highly doubt it will be till next year at the earliest.
Good point about where Humber's #s are coming from, but after Tommy John surgery I can't say I'm overly optimistic about his true upside.
BTW, bannister continues to pitch reasonably well..
BTW, ask and ye shall receive. Post has an update today about both Alou and Sanchez. Uncanny.
Alou was DH'ing yesterday, which is good. Once he's rehabbed, he can come back up and DH for us. How exactly is that a useful assignment?
Apparently Willie's got the same notion about Alou that I do:
"At this point, I'm not even optimistic or pessimistic about where he is," Willie Randolph said yesterday.
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