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Sighing Cys Big Unit and Zito struggle to find their award-winning formPosted: Monday August 18, 2003 1:03 PM
Historically speaking, it's really not that difficult to repeat as a Cy Young Award winner. Randy Johnson, in fact, has won four in a row. Greg Maddux did, too, in the '90s. Roger Clemens has ripped off a couple straight Cys a couple of times. Pedro Martinez has won two straight. So have Denny McLain, Jim Palmer and Sandy Koufax. Repeating can be done. Just not this year. When it comes time to vote for the best pitcher in baseball -- well, best in a manner of speaking, anyway -- the two reigning Cy Young winners will not be in the running this season.
It's easy to pinpoint Johnson's problems. Arizona's lefty ace, a unanimous Cy choice last season at 24-5 with a 2.32 ERA, was awful in his first three starts, going 0-2 with an 8.31 ERA. He finally gave in and went under the knife on May 1 to repair a troublesome right knee and spent 12 weeks on the disabled list. He returned in late July, but he clearly is not back to his old self yet. On Friday, the Atlanta Braves banged him around for seven runs in five innings, including three home runs, in a 10-4 Atlanta win. "I just don't know exactly what's going on at this point," Johnson said after the game. "It'd be one thing if my velocity wasn't there. But it's more location at this point, evidently." Johnson pitched well in his first three games after returning from the DL, allowing just two earned runs in 20 innings, striking out 16. But he lost two of those games and had a no-decision in the other. In his last three games, including the loss to Atlanta, he has allowed 15 runs in 18 2/3 innings (a 7.22 ERA). He is 2-1 in those games. "I've pitched a few good ballgames that we've lost and then I've pitched a few mediocre games that we've won," he said. Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly pointed to a lot of hanging sliders as Johnson's problem, at least on Friday. Johnson's slider, when it's on, dives hard into the dirt and makes his upper-90s fastball even more effective. Without a good slider, though, hitters can wait on the fastball. "When teams bang him around like they did tonight, it's surprising," Brenly said after the game. "But everyone's allowed a speed bump every once in a while." With the loss Friday, Johnson's record fell to 3-5 and his ERA ballooned to 5.08. He hasn't had a losing season since 1992. He hasn't finished a season with an ERA that high since he started six games for the Montreal Expos in 1989 and went 0-4 with a 6.67 ERA. "Nobody's more disappointed in the clubhouse than me right now," Johnson said. Over in the American League, Oakland's Zito hasn't been injured. But that hasn't made his season any less frustrating. Zito is just 10-10 a year after winning his first Cy by edging out Boston's Martinez, going 23-5 with a 2.75 ERA. The lefty has had some rough spots -- in three games in late June and early July, he gave up 35 hits and opponents hit .402 off him -- but Zito has had some rough luck, too. Mostly, he's been victimized by the A's weak hitting, which turns even worse when he gets on the mound. In his 10 losses, the A's have scored a measly 18 runs. In his seven no-decisions, they have scored just 15 runs. Overall, the A's put up only 4.18 runs a game in support of Zito. Only five pitchers get less help. How bad has it been? Zito has pitched four complete games -- losing three of them, including two three-hit losses. Zito, sixth in the AL with a 3.22 ERA, also has left the game with a lead three times only to have the Oakland bullpen blow it. Zito evened his record Sunday with a 7-3 win over the Red Sox. "It took the pressure off a little bit," he said of the runs. He snapped a career-worst five-game losing streak with the win and is now 46-3 in 59 career starts when his team gets him at least four runs. Even with a solid ERA, Zito won't be anywhere close to grabbing another Cy. Toronto's Roy Halladay, White Sox ace Esteban Loaiza -- even Oakland teammates Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson -- may get more votes than Zito at this point. And in the NL, Johnson will have to surrender the award to someone like Atlanta starter Russ Ortiz, or possibly a reliever like the Braves' John Smoltz or L.A.'s Eric Gagne. Despite their struggles, Zito's A's begin the week tied with the Red Sox for the wild-card lead in the AL, while Johnson and the D'backs sit four games behind Philadelphia for the NL wild card. They may not be Cy worthy. Not this year. But if they pitch close to it in the next few weeks, they still could be good enough to play in October.
• The Red Sox went 3-4 on their hairy West Coast swing to Oakland and Seattle, which isn't bad, considering. But they have to do better when the A's and Mariners come to Boston for seven straight, starting Tuesday. • John Smoltz is getting a little rusty out in the pen. He's been in only two of the Braves' last 10 games. Unless he gets some more work, Bobby Thigpen's record of 57 saves in a season may yet stand. • I don't know who wins that Freddy vs. Jason thing, and I don't really care. But, I'll tell you, neither one of them has a thing on the Kansas City Royals. Those guys just don't know when to die. • After that Sunday exhibition at Wrigley Field, I'm trying to figure out whether I should be more embarrassed for Ozzy Osbourne or for Major League Baseball. Sheesh. It's hard to do, but I think the doddering old rocker made Roseanne look good.
This week, some on the wild card races, on Raffy's decision to stay in Texas and a couple of other gems … It should be outright embarrassing for the Dodger organization to field such a great pitching staff yet rest their hitting hopes on Jeromy Burnitz. Green and P-Lo can only do so much, and what they have done lately isn't much. Beltre has gotten hot lately, but he's still not near .250. As I write this, the Dodgers are again down 2-0 to the Cubs and have three hits. Granted, it's Mark Prior. But to be contenders, they need to hit the best. What does this mean? Look for the Dodgers to fade, and the D'backs' bats to come alive and carry them to the wild card. Once they are there, it's a whole new game. -- Frank Gorman, Scottsdale, Ariz. I give Dodgers GM Dan Evans a lot of credit for avoiding the urge to trade his young pitching, even as his team whiffs its way through this season. I'm not sure the Dodgers have enough this season, but if one guy gets hot, or maybe the team pulls off one late-August trade … you never know. Even without that, the Dodgers may be there anyway. Then watch next year, when their payroll becomes a lot more manageable and they still have that pitching. As for the Diamondbacks in 2003 … their bats better come alive. I have to disagree about your pick for the NL Central. Granted that the division is hard to predict, but I just can't see the Astros hanging on to it. You say the Cubs haven't impressed, but when was the last time you could honestly label the Astros as impressive? Same goes for the Cardinals, who only impress when Pujols is at bat. The Cubs' pitching staff, a smokin' Sosa and some clutch performances by Lofton and Ramirez will propel them to a slim but good-enough lead in the division. -- Alberto Medina, San Juan, Puerto Rico Let's be honest here. No one has impressed in that division. My pick may well change five times in the next five weeks. Call me wishy-washy. I can take it. I disagree that Rafael Palmeiro should be "rung-up" for taking care of his family. I prematurely retired as a general surgeon at 36 to become a high school anatomy teacher so that I can be around my kids more (granted, having a pediatrician wife means both that she's quite busy and we can keep our house on her salary). I'm willing to bet you're a Cubs fan (or, at least, a fan of the contending underdog?). -- Preston J. Chandler, III, MD, The Woodlands, Texas The question I had is whether staying put is actually the best thing for his family. All indications are that he'll probably be playing elsewhere next season anyway, or that it will be harder, at least, for him to sign with Texas now that he's turned down this trade. Still doesn't make sense to me. But here are a few more views … Cub fans have seen aging unproductive stars that don't want to win before Palmeiro. Fred McGriff waited until the Cubs went from a playoff contender to also-ran and then sleepwalked through the end of the season and the next year to collect his millions. When you get used to cashing pressure-free million-dollar checks, why put yourself through the hassle? -- Tim Ryan Why should anyone be forced to move their family just because the company wants to treat them like a property? -- Russell Terry Powell Why would Palmeiro want to come to the Cubs and be a part-time player? Baker wouldn't play him everyday. He wants him for the bench and would platoon with Karros. He is still productive. This would severely hurt his future and his stats. Why should he care? Playing on a championship team is overrated. He's a future Hall of Famer, why should he care? Besides, history says the Cubs won't win anything. -- John Reusche, Broomall, Pa. Loyalty to one's team, rain or shine, is laudable -- not reprehensible. Jumping ship to safety is reprehensible -- perhaps even treasonable. Palmeiro should be lauded, not lambasted, for his decision to help his club. -- Robert Brackney Some guys have the hearts of winners, some want to collect a paycheck. By the way, you should note that one of the reasons Raffy chose returning to Texas instead of staying in Baltimore is the lack of state income taxes in Texas. He makes more money being a loser in Texas than having the opportunity to go to the World Series in Chicago. -- Jim Eicholtz Why don't all you dopes look at who was going to be his new team? The Cubs! They are still years from breaking their own curse. Their manager is Dusty Baker, one of the biggest choke artist managers in baseball. I don't blame Palmeiro for nixing the deal. I think you all should take a harder look and see the other side -- which is Chicago blows and so does its manager. -- Ryan Brooks OK, everybody. A couple of thoughts: With Palmeiro's resume, I don't think whatever he does (or doesn't do) would affect the thinking of anyone who wants him next season. Too much history. Yes, Karros is having a fine year, and I agree, he will get his ABs. But he doesn't have near the power that Palmeiro has. Baker will find some way to get Palmeiro his swings. And I, personally, don't question Palmeiro's heart. Just his reasoning. What is your opinion of the "body armor" worn by Bonds and some other hitters? To me, that gives the hitters an unfair advantage by taking away the inside part of the plate for the pitcher. I can't say that I have any respect at all for any hitter who wears armor. Without the armor, Bonds has nowhere near the home run total he has now. If they're afraid of the ball, they should not be up there. -- Brian Honea, Garland, Texas The hard part is differentiating between what is meant to protect an existing injury and what is not. If it comes down to seeing, say, a hurt Gary Sheffield in there with something protecting his elbow or not seeing him at all, I say let him wear it. On the other hand, if you're not hurt and you're leaning over the plate … that's not fair, is it? There's no question some players are emboldened by the stuff. I say go inside anyway until they back up. Why does Greg Maddux refuse to have Javy Lopez catch his games? Maddux has used guys like Eddie Perez, Paul Bako and now Henry Blanco, none of whom will ever be confused with Johnny Bench. It's one thing for Maddux to have his way if he's putting up zeros, but this year, with him being as ineffective as he has been, wouldn't you think Bobby Cox would step in and say, "Look I'm the manager, we need to win games and Lopez is killing the ball this season so you better warm up to pitching to him." I mean, who is calling the shots down there? -- Chip Schrager, New York Chip, that's a question that's often brought up around Atlanta. The party line is that Maddux is taking one for the team by giving Lopez a break from catching so many games. I'm not sure I buy that. In fact, I'm pretty sure I don't. But that's what they say. And we don't deal with rumors here in the e-bag. Much. Cox, as you know, runs this team by keeping his players happy. And everybody on the team is fine with this decision. (For Lopez, it helps extend his career.) Whatever, it certainly hasn't hurt the Braves. After reading the question from Will in Louisville, Ky., regarding Albert Pujols' quest for the Triple Crown and the pursuit by Todd Helton, I felt obligated to respond. To imply that Helton is not a great player and doesn't deserve the accolades he has received because of Coors Field is ridiculous. Since 1997, Todd Helton has been one of the most consistent players in baseball, even away from home. He has won two Gold Gloves, two Silver Slugger awards, has a .291 batting average on the road for his career and a .379 OBP on the road. He has missed only 24 games in seven seasons. His numbers are better at Coors Field, but the majority of athletes perform better at home. Coors Field does aid in the statistics, but Helton would be great no matter where he plays. Pujols is a great player, but Helton has been just as good and has played four years longer than Pujols. Give the man his due. He deserves to be considered as a potential Hall of Famer. -- Brian Miller, Roseburg, Ore.
Brian, you have some company in Dan Bielski of Englewood, Colo., who also objected to Will's reasoning last week. (Dan, sorry, that was a long one to include here.) There are formulas out there that take into account the differences in parks and what they mean to a hitter and
John Donovan is a senior writer for SI.com.
Comments? To e-mail Donovan, click here.
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Lots of choices this week. Joe Torre failing to realize that the Orioles batted out of order, which cost the Yankees a run? (No, they won anyway). Jose Mesa blowing another chance at a save Sunday, then kicking a fan and shoving a reporter afterward? (Well, we're getting closer.) Just for fun, let's go with Jack Cust's Charlie Brown-like trip down the third-base line in the O's one-run loss to the Yanks on Saturday. We like slapstick.
"I do not have to work for the rest of my life because this is my love and this is my passion and this is why I have so much fun."
