An Earful

Clare called yesterday, pretty much yelling into her phone, “What’s wrong with them?  It’s not like they have a bunch of bad players.”  No, Jeff Samardzija, he of the 1-8 record and 9.24 ERA—yes, you read that right, 9.24—in his last nine starts, had thrown a 1-hitter in the first game of a day-night doubleheader in Detroit.  With any batter other than the switch-hitting Victor Martinez, the left fielder would’ve been playing in more and probably caught the flare off the handle of Martinez’s.  And, if that had happened, the right-handed Samardzija would have had himself a perfect game.

It gets better, in a head-scratching sort of way.  In game two, almost-rookie Erik Johnson, he of the square jaw and jutting ears, fanned nine Tigers in six innings to up his September record this year to 3-0; Johnson was 3-2 in September of 2013 and 1-1 for all of 2014.  The 25-year old rightie is a completely different pitcher from last season.  Previously, I had never seen anyone look so uncomfortable on the mound; if a nervous hitter grips his bat into sawdust, a nervous pitcher bounces his offerings ten feet in front of the plate.  That was Erik Johnson.

The other late-season surprise has been outfielder Trayce Thompson.  I keep waiting for Thompson to fizzle out, especially after he hit into three double plays in game one, but no.  Come game two, Thompson smacks a double and a triple.  He’s batting .342 in 79 at-bats, with 14 of his 27 hits for extra bases.  I try not to get excited because, as I’ve said, Nyls Nyman happens.

My sense is that Samardzija would thrive if he were treated like the 17-year old football player he once was, as in—Go through that wall, now, because I said so.  There doesn’t seem to be much self-reflection about his performances.  The man posted a 9.24 ERA while saying again and again that he was making good pitches.  If he’s going to be immature at the age of 30, then turn back the clock to high school, when athletes don’t dare question their coaches.  Just make sure the coach doing the yelling knows what he’s screaming about.  Over on MLB Network, Harold Reynolds—somebody stick a sock in that man’s mouth—says Samardzija will get himself a $100 million contract next year because he eats up innings.  I doubt if it’ll be in Chicago.

Now, back to Clare’s phone call.  We both agreed on what was wrong, the coaching staff.  Fire them all and instill a little, no, a lot, of passion in the dugout.  Otherwise, Erik Johnson and Trayce Thompson will just be names turned to trivia.