Explain Two Things to Me

First, what’s up with Sean Burke, and how are they going to fix it? Unless New-Mickey Venable and his staff are happy with a starting pitcher who walks five batters in 4.2 innings while giving up five earned runs in a 7-3 loss to the Cubs. Oh, and the rookie righthander needed 97 pitches to do it. You either throw strikes or perish in baseball, a message that has to be sent fast and clear. Yesterday, neither catcher Edgar Quero nor pitching coach Ethan Katz was able to do that. And it doesn’t help to have Venable offer up one of his milquetoast observations, that “We’ve just got to get him back on track and competitive in the zone.” Ya think? Now, tell us exactly how you’re going to do that, New-Mickey. While you’re at it, why don’t you call out your right fielder, Joshua Palacios, who did a middle-school impersonation yesterday of a major-league right fielder? What I don’t need is milquetoast gibber about the conditions at Wrigley Field and “Just one of those things where you’ve got to battle, do everything you can and hope you’re able to make plays.” [both quotes from today’s Tribune] Hope doesn’t get the ball caught, New-Mickey. The second thing I’d like explained to me was Venable’s decision to pinch hit for Tim Elko in the ninth inning. Elko was 1-for-2 with a homerun and a walk. Why not see what he could do against right-hand reliever Porter Hodge? If anybody deserves to be lifted for a pinch hitter, it’s Luis Robert Jr. Unless the manager and his staff are OK with another 0-for-4 performance that included two strikeouts, that is.