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May 27, 2004
Say what?
If you are looking for insightful analysis of Major League Baseball and the Astros, then avoid the Chronicle sports section. In this article bemoaning Andy Pettitte's latest injury, the Chronicle's John Lopez rues the lack of viable alternatives to replace Pettitte in the Stros' rotation and makes the following observation:
Carlos Hernandez, whom the Astros had hoped to be progressing by this point of the season to become an option, has not distinguished himself at Class AAA New Orleans.
Having followed Hernandez's progress at AAA New Orleans while recovering from labrum surgery, Lopez's observation surprised me. So, I took another look at Hernandez's current statistics.
While operating under a strict pitch count, Hernandez is 4-0 in nine starts, has an ERA of 2.54, has struck out 26 in 51 innings, and has given up only 18 walks. In other words, Hernandez's stat line is as good as any pitcher on the Astros staff right now and better than most.
Inasmuch as Hernandez is still building arm strength, his velocity has not yet returned completely, and that is reflected in his relatively low strikeout totals. However, Lopez's suggestion that Hernandez is not doing well at New Orleans simply reflects that he prefers to take someone else's word for it rather than checking the facts. This is a common characteristic of the Chronicle baseball writers, best reflected in their unquestioning support of such abysmal players as Brad Ausmus and Jose Vizcaino, and their oblivious acceptance of manager Jimy Williams' dubious decisions.
For more irreverent but much more insightful analysis of the Stros, ditch the Chronicle and head over to Orange Whoopass.
Posted by Tom at May 27, 2004 08:43 AM
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