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Braden still battling for respect
By Morris Phillips September 23, 2010 |
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“There’s no obese lady in sight, and I can’t hear any singing,” Dallas Braden said, refusing to concede the AL West title to the Texas Rangers in both his thoughts and his performance. Braden was at the top of his game in a 5-0 shutout of the Rangers that kept hope alive in Oakland. The Man from the 209 pitched a gem by pounding the strike zone, moving the ball in and out, and working in a lethal changeup. Braden obviously isn’t ready to give up on his A’s nor is he ready to write the summary to his star-crossed 2010 season. This year, Braden has seen a whole lot of good, and just as much bad, in the busiest of his four seasons at the major league level. The former 24th round pick had to beat the odds just to make it to the major league level, and now that he’s made it to the show, Braden’s trying to show that he belongs. Braden’s perfect game against the Rays on Mother’s Day stands as the lefty’s season highpoint. But after that gem, Braden went more than two months before he won again. During that period, Braden got no offensive support, saw one or two pitches an outing be his downfall and he spent time on the disabled list with a balky elbow. Throughout he stayed positive, distanced himself from his faceoff with A-Rod, and kept his focus on the team and not his own struggles. His perseverance paid off at the end of July and then into August, when Braden rebounded with four wins in a span of five starts. But Braden couldn’t sustain his success, as the A’s offense swooned behind him, and probably his pitches started lose zip in this, the most active season of the young pitcher’s career. Braden saw his innings pitched jump from 71 in 2008 to 136 in 2009 to 180 so far this year. Last weekend in Minnesota, the lefty walked four batters and got beat by a poorly placed fastball that Danny Valencia sent over the fence for a three-run homer. The start saw Braden walk four batters for the second straight start after he had gone 20 consecutive starts without walking more than two batters. All the signs pointed to fatigue, but on Thursday, Braden looked fresh, mowing down the Rangers and getting the best of their starter, Cliff Lee. “It was kind of a classic Dallas game when he’s on. He was throwing the ball in and out and just attacking the strike zone,” manager Bob Geren said. Braden’s ERA will be a career best, currently at 3.49, but he’s going to have a second straight season with a losing record, currently 10-13. He threw the perfect game, but then went ice cold. He’s also shown that he’s consistent with his control and his command, but thanks to the A’s offense leaving him in the bottom five in the AL in run support, he doesn’t have as much to show for his efforts. So it’s easy to see why Braden isn’t ready for the fat lady to sing. |
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