Well, scratch my plan... Zumaya is probably headed to the DL

Courtesy of Tom Gage at Det News...

"Says his shoulder is throbbing, heard a pop. can't lift his right arm and is returning to Detroit for an MRI"

-If true, that is bad, bad news. He needs work down in Toledo. He does not need another trip to the DL. And, if there was a pop heard, then this could be a long term injury and we still need him during the stretch run.

-Ryan Perry will probably be brought up if/when Zumaya hits the disabled list.

Update: Zumaya has been placed on the DL and Ryan Perry has indeed been recalled. Perry was sent down to Toledo to work on his command and on his slider. His BB/9 ratio of 6.91 is the worst in the AL among qualified relievers. And, his 1st pitch strike percentage of just 39.5% is the worst in baseball. Needless to say, he has to improve on those numbers. He has the talent, the fastball and the nautral ability to get the all-important strikeout. We all know that. Whether he can do that while cutting down on his walks allowed has yet to be seen. Again, I imagine he will be our 7th inning guy, at best. He is not ready to be put in with the game on the line, yet.

Zumaya blows lead and should pack bags to Toledo

For the fourth time in his last 9 outings, Zumaya blew a save and allowed at least 2 ER. He can no longer be counted on in any situation, and he has absolutely no command. With his minor league options remaining and Ryan Perry pitching well in Toledo, it seems obvious what the next move will be. Zumaya should be sent down to Toledo to work on his command and Perry should be brought up to take over Zumaya's role as the 7th inning guy. Lyon and Seay should split duties in the 8th and Rodney will close the 9th.

As of today, Zumaya reminds me of Matt Anderson. He can throw it 100 MPH but he throws pitches just with the hope of them ending in the strike zone and aims his pitches. His confidence appears to be shot and who can blame him? He has been one of the worst late inning relievers in the last month in MLB and he is now tied for the major league lead in blown saves. Here is what I wrote about Zoom Zoom just a few weeks ago after he blew the game against the Cardinals...

"These inconsistent efforts are becoming far too common, especially for a guy who was branded as our closer of the future in 2006. That day is coming. Rodney will be a FA this offseason, and will command a big raise. The Tigers may or may not want to give him a big money, long term deal. This is, essentially, his tryout to be our closer for 2010. It is also his tryout to be our shutdown 8th inning guy for this year. If he continues to struggle to throw strikes or keep the ball in the park, then Lyon, Seay and even Miner will be trusted more in those crunch moments in September and October.

As I said in a previous post about Verlander, it is time for Zumaya to step up. Again, it is all laid out there on the table for him. He's got the fastball. He's got the curveball. He's got the closer job in the future if he performs. He can be the shutdown guy to hold the lead for Rodney this year. But, he needs to throw strikes."

-That tryout to be our future closer is turning up in smoke, right now. It is amazing that he has not lost any velocity off his fastball even with his injury history. But, the honeymoon is over and the gig is up. It is time to pack his bags and head down to the Mud Hens for a mid-season break and an opportunity to get things straightened out. The world is not over for Zumaya. He still possesses the talent to succeed at the this level. But, 2006 is becoming a distant memory and his lack of command is just downright disturbing.

With all that said, Jim Leyland is not free from my rath. Let me break this down...

• As I mentioned in my preview of the Yankees team, they mash power pitchers to an OPS+ of 141.
• Lefties hit for an OPS 0f .944 against Zumaya
• Yankee Stadium is perfectly built for a left handed hitter with that short porch in right field.
• He was at least going to face left handed hitters, Johnny Damon and Mark Teixera (who each mash right handed pitching).

-The result was not surprising. Leyland put Zumaya in a position to fail and he did just that. Jeter led off the inning with a single, Damon just missed a home run and ended up with a double, and Teixera launched a majestic home run to effectively end the game. Then, Zumaya was inexplicably left in to load the bases before eventually getting out of the inning. I like Leyland, but there is no excuse for putting Zumaya in a situation like that. It was an incredibly predictable result that should have never been allowed to happen.

The Curious Case of Joel Zumaya

Joel Zumaya has a right arm that scouts and GM's scour the country for, and dream about in their sleep. He consistently throws a 100+ mph fastball that is unhittable when located properly and has a sick curveball that can bend a batter's knees. It is also a right arm that can survive the horror that is Guitar Hero and an injury-filled 2007 and 2008 seasons. It is also a right arm that shows the potential to completely dominate and humiliate MLB batters, like the Cubs felt two days ago.

Unfortunately, it is also a right arm that struggles with location, command, and any other word you want to throw out there. Tonight, in a one run game, Zumaya allowed a hit and walked 3 straight batters to blow the lead and effectively blow the game as he left Dolsi with the bases loaded and only 1 out. Two games ago, he gave up the go-ahead home run to the Cubs. Two games before that one, he walked 3 St. Louis batters and allowed 1 ER. For the month of June, he has a 5.40 ERA.

Losses happen. This is baseball. The Tigers had just won 7 straight games, and are playing great baseball. Verlander was not Verlander tonight, and that won't happen often. Ordonez left 7 men on base, but he won't be on the team during September so that doesn't mean much. Robertson can't get a Little League player out. He too will be cut soon enough, so that doesn't matter long-term. What does matter is Zumaya. These inconsistent efforts are becoming far too common, especially for a guy who was branded as our closer of the future in 2006. That day is coming. Rodney will be a FA this offseason, and will command a big raise. The Tigers may or may not want to give him a big money, long term deal. This is, essentially, his tryout to be our closer for 2010. It is also his tryout to be our shutdown 8th inning guy for this year. If he continues to struggle to throw strikes or keep the ball in the park, then Lyon, Seay and even Miner will be trusted more in those crunch moments in September and October.

As I said in a previous post about Verlander, it is time for Zumaya to step up. Again, it is all laid out there on the table for him. He's got the fastball. He's got the curveball. He's got the closer job in the future if he performs. He can be the shutdown guy to hold the lead for Rodney this year. But, he needs to throw strikes.