A left-hand toast to Adalberto Mejia who gave the Twins a great start. Their wildcard lead is now 2 1/2 games with 9 to play.— Dick Bremer (@dbremer_pxp) September 22, 2017
"Great start"? When did 4.2 innings become a great start?
Mejia's line score is pretty good other than just getting 14 outs. But he committed a balk and got the hook after -- yet again -- not getting to first base in time on a ground ball.
I have never seen a major league pitcher have as much difficulty covering first base as Mejia, and I don't think it's simply a chronic brain cramp. He's big and slow, and he falls off the mound toward third base after delivering a pitch, and he just doesn't get to first base. That might seem like a minor detail, but it comes up start after start -- and if it means one extra hit a game, that matters.
Let's assume that the Twins not only land the second wild card game but advance to the ALDS. Who do you want as the fourth starter in the playoff rotation? We can expect Ervin Santana, Jose Berrios and Kyle Gibson are 1-2-3. But I don't see the Twins trying to go with just three starters, if only to protect Berrios, who has already hit a career high in innings pitched.
Do you go with Bartolo Colon? He's had his moments since joining the Twins, but he has a 5.33 ERA in 13 starts with Minnesota, and 16 homers in 72.2 innings is a really bad ratio.
Or Mejia? The hefty lefty (you knew that was coming, didn't you) a markedly better ERA than Colon but has a walk rate twice as high -- and his fielding should be a concern. A playoff team that doesn't make him get off the mound and make some plays isn't really trying.
Some questions don't have a wrong answer. This one doesn't have a right answer.
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