Johan Santana, LH Sidney Ponson, RH
(5-1, 2.88) (4-1, 5.50)
3:05 start time, no TV. Follow on the radio or online or don't follow at all, I suppose. CarrieIC doesn't like our chances against Santana, and neither do I. I don't like anyone's chances against Santana.
Not to be fatalistic, but I think we're toast. Santana is a beast. Sure, he broke his 17 game winning streak two starts ago -- but he only gave up two hits. He hasn't had a bad start in a year. Nowadays, a bad start for him is giving up 3 runs and only striking out 7 or 8. On an averagely good night, he'll blank the opposing team and strike out 12 or 13. It isn't that he's sneaky, or unpredictable. It's that his change-up is abso-***king-lutely unhittable. And he never throws a bad pitch, so waiting him out doesn't help. He's struck out 59 and walked 5 on the year -- and 2 of those were deliberate. You don't sneeze at those kinds of numbers. The O's have a powerful offense, but let's face it, they're also a team of whiffers. I think the strike out counts will be high, and I think Sammy and Raffy combined could account for half of them, easily.
We might have a shot if Bedard was starting tonight, or Chen. But it's Ponson, who used up his good start for the month against the Royals. Somehow, I have my doubts that he'll outduel Santana.
I'd say the odds are 80-20 against the O's.
Santana's K-to-BB is 59-to-5. The man is ridiculous. 2.88 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, .197 BAA. He's the best starter in the majors. I'm most interested to see what the lineup will be now that two-thirds of the outfield is on the shelf. This is going to be an adventure.