Throughout the year there are a number of reasons pitchers are removed from the starting rotation. There are your typical injuries and then there are weird injuries. Rookie pitchers and prospects might be on an innings cap and only start games through July or August. Other hurlers simply get racked too many times to keep sending them out there every fifth game. Such is the case with Brian Matusz, but it may not be that simple.
Matusz was a decent starter for the Orioles last season, going 10-12 with a modest 4.30 ERA. This year has been much different, as he’s watched his ERA balloon to 9.84 after a horrible stretch of games from August into September. According to manager Buck Showalter, the issue with Matusz is a mental one.
“There are two sides to it,” Showalter told MLB.com via Hardball Talk. “I’m a father first. I don’t like to see anybody get beat up on. I don’t think that Brian is at a point right now where he can defend himself properly. It’s not going to be a matter of him throwing 94 or 93 miles per hour. He can pitch just like he is, stuff-wise. It’s just command issues and repeating his delivery and a lot of things he’s aware of. I feel for him, but not to the point where … he knows nobody is going to feel sorry for him in that other clubhouse. He’s got it. He understands a lot more than what people may perceive about what’s going on.”
It’s tough not to feel sorry for a guy who just can’t get it together mentally, and that is obviously what has happened with Matusz. Pitching for arguably the worst team in baseball certainly will not boost your confidence.
