Reflections on Atlanta Braves' Chad Durbin, One Last Time

I have written a couple articles about the Atlanta Braves’ relief pitcher, Chad Durbin over the first 10 games of the season. I do not want to be redundant or “beat a dead horse.” However, I could not help but react to an article on Durbin from the AJC yesterday. Fredi Gonzalez provided some nuggets of doom that Braves’ fans should anticipate moving forward:

“We need to get him in there a little more and get him that life on that fastball, that two-seamer,” Fredi Gonzalez said.

Durbin concedes that his pitches are coming out flat; his sinker’s not sinking and his cutter isn’t cutting as he’d like.

“There’s just a little bit of action on the ball that’s not happening to get them off the barrel,” Durbin said.

So, the solution to Durbin offering up batting practice to every team he has faced to this point is to give him more opportunities to give up batting practice to other teams…more frequently?

Seems like a fail proof plan, Fredi. (sarcasm should be noted)

Here are some astounding stats from that article quoted above:

“Durbin’s home-run problems haven’t just suddenly cropped up. The veteran right-hander has now allowed at least one homer in an eye-popping seven consecutive appearances going back to last Sept. 14.

Durbin has a 14.00 ERA with nine homers, a .386 batting average and 14 runs allowed in nine innings during that stretch, including three homers in one inning against the White Sox on Sept. 21.

He leads NL relievers in homers allowed despite pitching only three innings.”

The problem with having Durbin on the team is Fredi will undoubtedly put him into games and in situations that he should not pitch in. He admitted that he thinks he should use him more frequently. This will be a disaster. Right it down.