Good afternoon everyone, First post here, but I'm glad I chose the most imperative topic in regards to the teams performance. First, "quality starts" are right behind pitching "wins" as one of the most overrated (and , in the case of "quality starts", most convoluted and misleading) major statistics in the game, and, perhaps, all of sports. Surely, in the case of QS's, derived by an agent to bolster the resume of a pitcher reeking of mediocrity (which, by the way, is where a 4.50 era resides these days)? 3 earned runs in 6 innings is "quality" pitching then? A 4.50 ERA is a hallmark of a quality starter? Good grief. This should be shunned as quickly as it was accepted as a valid measuring stick for starting pitching. But, I digress. To the point, placing Jeff Suppan on the mound for a ML team at this point significantly hinders your ability to win a game. Is there a guarantee that Narveson and Bush bolster your chances of winning significantly? Of course not. That said, do I believe there's a significant chance it would mean another 4+ wins over a 162 game season/30 starts? Yes, I do. And those 4 wins will almost certainly be crucial to the chances of this team playing baseball in late September. Nothing last year or this spring indicates anything but a continued, measurable declination in Suppan's output. To me, it borders on insanity to continue to place him in a role where he has proven to be rabidly unsuccessful. Again, there are no guarantees, but to believe after looking at this scenario holistically that Suppan is a valid option for this 5 man rotation at this point, has me beyond scratching my head. Respectfully, James
