I should’ve known early on that watching this game was not worth it. Like when the girlfriend swears that some Matthew McConaughey movie will be good - I just knew better.
When Dontrelle Willis was announced as the starter and trotted out to the mound in the Bottom of the 1st inning I had doubts. When he walked the very first batter I thought about switching channels, but the Crosbys were already slaughtering the Ovechkins. When Rod Allen proclaimed Willis the comeback story of the year, I laughed. And finally when Wills gave up a 2-run homerun to the very next batter, Justin Morneau, I should’ve just shut off the TV, went to bed, and hoped for the best in tomorrow’s - well, since it is 3am - today’s game.
The Tigers loss to the Twins was not totally Willis’ fault. It really was not anyones’ fault, but Willis just does not have the “stuff”. Rod Allen will try to convince us that everything is okay, as a good hometown announcer should. Hell, Mario Impemba even goes along with Rod to some degree, but with a reserved enthusiasm. I for one am not on board and remain completely unconvinced that Willis is back and is a viable fourth or fifth starter. This just leads to a perpetual ominous feeling when Willis is about to take the mound and tonight was no exception.
Willis pitched 4 1/3 innings and let up four runs, eight hits, had no strikeouts and a couple of walks. For some reason this was “not a bad start” according to Rod. Now, I am certainly not an expert and I understand Willis has not been himself in the last 2 seasons, but eight hits and four runs in just over four innings is not “not bad”, it is pretty damn bad. The damage would have been much worse but Willis saved himself with a phenomenal play (and I am going to call it a really lucky play) in which he doubled off a runner at second after catching a rocket line drive that somehow landed right in his glove and he had the presence of mind to throw it to second before the runner could tag-up. Good play Willis, better play Lady Luck.
Despite Willis’ stats, this 13 inning loss can hardly be blamed solely on him - the pitcher who started the game and was within two runs when he exited…in the fourth inning. The team went 3-11 with runners in scoring position. The Laird/Sardinha combo and Polanco were hitless…in a 13 inning game…that’s a combined 0 for 11. Ordonez, our supposed number two slugger, had a double and that was it…in a 13 inning game…oh yeah, he also had 2 strikeouts. Brandon Lyons was asked to pitch about 3 times as long as usual and ran out of gas before giving up the game winning grand slam to Joe “The Tiger Killer” Crede. Jim Leyland got ejected after arguing a bad call on Ordonez’s behalf in one those two strikeouts and Gene Lamont was left calling the pitches - did they even have pitchers when Lamont played baseball? Sarcasm, relax.
The point is that even though there are a multitude of reasons the Tigers lost tonight, when I see Willis’ name on the lineup card I worry. I worry because he is unpredictable on his best day. I worry because he was injured all of last season but has a hefty contract. I worry because he started this season on the DL because of an anxiety disorder of some sort. I worry because I might ignore all of those worries, and watch the game go 13 innings only to have Crede crush us with a swing of the bat… well, I never really worried too much about that specifically, but after this last game I will.
I am afraid that watching Willis pitch is turning into an experience like playing with cheaply made fireworks. There’s always the hope that everything will go as planned - the wick burns evenly, the flight path is high enough to clear your neighbor’s roof, and the end result is a loud thunderclap and a dazzling burst of color. However, there’s the chance that the wick ignites as soon as the flame hits it and it blows up in your face; or maybe it just doesn’t light at all and you have an uneasy wait to see if anything happens or if you kick it aside. There’s the chance that the flight path is about seven degrees instead of 70 degrees and your neighbor’s shed turns into a bonfire right before your eyes. Or there’s the chance that the ignition and lift-off go great, but there is not a notable result at the end of it all and you wonder why the hell you wasted your money and a trip to Ohio. I think tonight’s performance was more like the latter of the three than the previous two, but that is little consolation.
I hope Willis can find his old stuff he had in his first and third seasons with The Marlins, but there are many reason why that is unlikely…a weaker National League vs the stronger American League offenses; the recent health issues; the lack of pressure in a small Florida market vs a city like Detroit that loves baseball; the current lack of incentive with a huge contract from the Tigers, etc.
So, yes, I worry when I see Willis on the lineup card.
