Since there is no Sox Loser thread, I'll put this here...

 

In Gavin's Floyd's starts in August/September, take a look at his numbers:

 

8/05: 6 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6K

8/11: 4 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

8/28: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

9/05: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

 

That's 3 good starts in 4. And even with the lousy one, that is a 4.50 ERA. Now, before people go off onto one ledge or the other, I am not saying he looks great. He doesn't. He still loses velocity and control in the stretch, still can't hold runners on, and still sails pitches on occasion. But... considering what we saw in ST, and then in his brief 2-start stint in July... there is simply no denying that he is improving.

 

I hope we see Gavin every 5th or 6th game to the end of the season, to see if this is a fluke, or if he really is progressing. He may still turn out to be a serviceable 5th starter.

 

I still like a Jake Westbrook comparison.

-First round picks

-given up on by their original teams (Westbrook was actually traded 3 times)

-similar body build

-6.00+ ERAs in their first 100 or so innings

-neither has stuff that blows you away

-both were good in AAA and subsequently struggled in the majors

 

 

Call me crazy but I'd say that's pretty good news that Floyd faced the Detroit Tigers at their place and gave up but one run.

 

The other good news is our entire bullpen--almost literally--also only gave up one run. Losing 2-1 to the Tigers in extra innings isn't bad news when it comes to our pitching.

 

Now, our offense? A whole different story.

Gavin actually had better pitches last night than I have seen. He showed a power sinker that I hadnt seen before, and his little slider looked to fool a couple of hitters. His change needs work as he drops his arm a bit when he throws it, otherwise he has the potential to be able to replace Jon Garland in our rotation if he keeps this up.