ramirez's numbers last night and today

[toledodan]

1 2/3 innings
7 hits
6 runs
4 walks

the kid has hit a wall and the rotation with bronson's struggles is in deep crap!

[Dunner44]

lets take out last night. That isn't fair at all, as he is a STARTER not a reliever, and had no way of knowing he'd be pitching last night going into the game. The numbers are still bleak:

1.1 innings
5 hits
5 runs (5 EARNED)
2 BB

His WHIP in august is 4.00, which tells you all you need to know about his recent struggles. He is either tipping or placing his pitches poorly, resulting in FAR TOO MANY hits and walks. Sending him down would be the humane thing to do to his 16.8 ERA in August. Franklin can start.

[RedlegJake]

Sending EZ down was a smart move. I don't think the NL suddenly got "the book" on him, I think he is simply arm weary - and maybe a little confidence shot. Compare his earlier starts with his last few. He is getting the ball up in the zone just a bit from earlier. Baseball really is a game if inches - those extra 1 or 2 inches up make him really hittable. He hasn't been torching the corners either, like he did a month and a half ago - when he is hitting the strike zone it is in the center or he misses altogether for a ball. EZ needs to be carefully managed for workload the rest of the year - enough to build more endurance but little enough to give him some rest, too. He has the command and mental attitude that can make him successful as long as expectations don't get too high. His ceiling is probably as a very good #3 or 4 starter because his stuff is just average - it's his mental makeup and the ability he has shown to command his pitches that are his edge but when he's tired and that command is slightly off he'll be just what we've seen lately - pretty bad. I'd continue to work with him at AAA to refine that change and otherwise not expect him to help the rest of this year. He gave the rotastion an improtant boost earlier this year - now it's time to concentrate on getting him ready for next season.