Mlicki: 8 innings, near-complete game shutout, 1 hit, no walks. 1 total baserunner. Soooo close to a perfect game (except for the 1 inning he wasn't allowed to pitch for some dumbass reason). I don't know if it's a good thing that Mlicki is the best pitcher on this team, but WOW. In 4 starts, he has given up a total of 7 runs and now has an ERA of 2.36. I'm glad we gave him the job over Redding. Sadly, we might not get the win because Wagner comes up in the 9th.
It really disappoints me that Williams decided to yank Mlicki for a pinch hitter in the 8th (especially with a 4 run lead). At the very least he should have let Mlicki bat and try a squeeze. Not only is Mlicki pitching well, he is doing it with little effort. He pitched very well his previous two games as well so it's not like this was unusual (at least for this year). Thus far Williams pitching moves have been questionable. (e.g Oswalt on Thursday).
Holy crap. A 2 hitter against one of the better hitting teams in the league? Amazing. I'll wait until July to become a Mlicki convert... but damn, dave... thanks for the fantastic start. Bobrek: You're absolutely right. He'd only thrown 92 pitches. I was worried that Williams would ruin our starters: I should have been worried about our bullpen!
I hope Mlicki can keep up the phenominal pitching thru out the season. This guy is looking like an ace as of now.
I totally agree. Props to The Milkman. He's not just pitching well this year. He's been doing good ever since coming to Houston. Who remembers last year's post-season showing when he only allowed 1 run against the braves? I know we lost, but it wasn't because of him.
lima gave up 8 runs in the first inning of their game today but he did get the tigers first win of the season. i do know we've gotten the better of the deal so far.
All of you who bashed Miliki and said he was **** need a gut check. The guy was reliable last year, and thus far has proven to be a serviceable starter.
Dangerous Dave struck out Barry Bonds on high heat . . . . that couldn't have been faster than 88mph or so - that is insane. But I'll take it.
From the Chronicle: Barry Bonds went 0-for-3 and failed to reach base, ending a streak of 58 games dating to Aug. 15, 2001. The record is something like 62 games or so.
Incidentally, Jose Lima pitched today for Detroit.... What's that you say? What was his stat line? Well, I'll tell you.... 2/3 of an inning, 5 hits allows, 2 walks, 8 ER allowed. Nice job, Lima. That trade was a freaking steal for us.
Mlicki rocks!! I freaking love that guy...mostly because he has been at least of SOME value instead of the none we were getting with his trade counterpart, Lima Time!! BELIEVE IT!!! (what a dork!) Don't forget...Mlicki was nails down the stretch last year and pitched a great game in the playoffs. He is a good starting pitcher.
Big Mac had a 62 or 64 game streak in '95 I think, this was longest since then. Don't know about all-time though.
From the Chron: "It was the right move. If I could swing a bat or get a bunt down maybe, I would have stayed out there. We had to win, so you had to give the ball to Billy. If we had a couple more runs I'm sure I would have gone back out there." Williams refused to second-guess the decision and became agitated when queried by reporters after the game. "It was an easy decision," said Williams who added he wanted to get some Wagner some work. "He had thrown (92) pitches, he had done his job. Bonds was the fifth hitter in the next inning, so I would have taken him out if anyone got on base anyway."
"It was the right move. If I could swing a bat or get a bunt down maybe, I would have stayed out there. We had to win, so you had to give the ball to Billy. If we had a couple more runs I'm sure I would have gone back out there." I still disagree with the move. He looked pissed when they took him out. The "if we had a couple more runs" thing is odd, given that we had a 4-0 lead. I could understand if it was 1-0 or 2-0. Seems to me like a generic "company line' type of answer. "It was an easy decision," said Williams who added he wanted to get some Wagner some work. "He had thrown (92) pitches, he had done his job. Bonds was the fifth hitter in the next inning, so I would have taken him out if anyone got on base anyway." This is another move I'd have disagreed with, given that Mlicki is the one pitcher in the world who held Bonds to 0-3. Even if people had gotten on base, I'd have left him in unless Mlicki was just falling apart. Oh well, guess that (along with my lack of baseball experience and numerous other reasons) is why I'm not a manager.
Eh? Mlicki was the worst starting pitcher in MLB last year who qualified. I'm more convinced that he's a good back-end starter... but I have trouble believing that he's a "good" starting pitcher. Yesterday was a gem... but I'll always have trouble trusting a pitcher without a single pitch that could truly be called "good."
Overreact much? If he'd have left Mlicki in, and he'd given up 5 runs, you'd all be b****ing about Williams not taking him out.
