Jason Marquis: Mr. Inconsistent
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by user Jgov05
Jason Marquis might have had the most inconsistent week in baseball history. In a game against the Braves on the 18th, Marquis was absolutely shelled for 12 earned runs in a blowout loss.
Then on Sunday, Marquis pitched 8 innings against the Dodgers, allowing no runs and just 4 hits. That's a 12-run difference between starts!
Marquis' inconsistency isn't just a recent phenomenon. Earlier in the year he came off an 8 inning, 1 run performance and then had the worst game of any pitcher this year. Marquis was crushed for 13 earned runs against the Chicago White Sox! Then he allowed 7 earned runs next starts for a two-game total of 20 runs.
Of course, Marquis then won his next two starts. On the year he has a 12-7 record, leading the NL in victories. This is despite a 5.62 ERA that doesn't even rank in the same zip code as the top.
So what do you do if you're the Cardinals? Do you bench Marquis because of his horrendous ERA and WHIP, or do you leave him in the rotation because of his high victory total? Right now they really don't have a choice. Because of their lack of pitching, they need to keep him in the rotation. But that means they'll have to prepare themselves for a double-digit earned run total once in a while.
Date
Sun 07/23/06, 4:26 pm EST
