Last night, in his first start since June 16, 2007, Jason Schmidt took to the bump against the Reds. The first inning saw some schmitty defense and a bunch of 88 mph fastballs down the pipe. The Red Machine put up a quick three runs, but after the first, number 29 seemed to settle down a bit. He went 5 innings, finished with two Ks and 3 walks, and got the win.Let's be honest, Schmidt looked nothing like the dude we signed in 2006. He still has the same chicken legs, but his fastball topped out at a Gregg Maddux-esque 89 mph. He's far from the power pitcher he used to be and we hoped would return from injury. Without his power fastball, I really doubt he can be effective in the rotation OR in the bullpen. His lack of velocity has forced him to completely alter his strategy on the mound and, quite frankly, his breaking stuff is not good enough to complement his new mind set. Steroids?
Oh well, at least our offense is awesome.
88 MPH? more like 86. In the first inning, Vin Scully was in the middle of telling his rapt audience that the Chavez Ravine gun is known throughout the majors to clock pitchers at 2MPH faster than they actually are. Then the inning ended and he dropped the matter. I love Vin. He's still got it.
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