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Peculiar. That seems to be an appropriate way to describe the current Antonio Bastardo situation. "I need a rest right now," Bastardo said on Saturday. "My arm's not hurt. It's just tired."
That doesn’t sound peculiar at all.
What's peculiar is that Bastardo is apparently the only one who feels that way. “He’s throwing 92-93,” Dubee said Saturday. “He’s not tired.”
Well, no gray area there.
“It’s a long season and you go through ruts. He needs to get back to pitching with edge and confidence and attacking the strike zone,” Dubee said. “He’s not throwing enough strikes and commanding.”
Dubee might be right, but Bastardo seems to have a legitimate point considering his 59 appearances are by far the most in his career. He pitched more innings in the minors while he was still a starter, but as a full time reliever last year he only appeared in 48 games.
But Charlie Manuel also won't say that Bastardo is tired. “He just needs to go out and have a good inning, come off the mound feeling good about himself and he’ll be fine,” Charlie said. In Charlie’s mind it is a confidence issue. “I haven’t really seen him turn it loose,” Manuel said.
Charlie predicted this moment all along. When Michael Stutes was going through a rough patch in August, he claimed it was no different than what he dealt with in the minors. But Charlie felt otherwise. “I'm concerned. I've said that all year long,” Manuel said. “He's never been here. This is the big leagues, and it takes its toll on you.”
It appears to now be taking its toll on Bastardo in the form of mental fatigue. Bastardo’s case it had him feeling his arm was tired when really it wasn’t.
“The season is long, and it can get mental on you,” Charlie said, again referring to Stutes. “He's in that zone where I thought Atlanta's pitchers might get to, and they haven't gotten there yet. Stutes is going to be OK, but this is a test for him."
Bastardo said he was tired. Charlie and Dubee said he wasn’t. Maybe they were both right. |
