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LEDEZMA COULD BE PITCHING FOR HIS JOB by Jason Martinez posted 6/08/08 With Jake Peavy likely to return to the rotation next Thursday versus the Dodgers, Wil Ledezma could be the odd man out of the starting rotation. In fact, this might even be his last game as a Padre. While Josh Banks has been tremendous since joining the club and Cha Seung Baek gave the team six strong innings in yesterday's game, Ledezma's starts have been uninspiring, to say the least. In five starts, the left-hander has yet to make it past five innings and is 0-2 with a 5.66 ERA. Two of his starts have been good (9 IP, ER, 4 H vs WAS and ATL) but the other three have been disasters, pitching with very little command and frequently pitching deep into counts. If he doesn't pitch another game for the Padres after today, his lack of control will have been his downfall. At 27 years-old, Ledezma has yet to find command of a 94 mph fastball that has helped to limit opponents to a .247 batting average. But 26 walks in 15 walks in 20.2 innings pitched as a starter is not going to cut it on any team. So this is likely your last chance Wil. If you can shut down the Mets, you'll likely nail down a roster spot for at least a few more weeks. If not, then you'll likely be someone else's project in the near future. Fortunately for you, there will always be a place for a left-handed pitcher who throws in the mid-90's. |