First John Smoltz, now Brad Penny?
The Boston Red Sox signed both veterans last offseason to bolster their starting rotation depth, only to shuttle them aside when they wilted in the summer sun. But did they react too quickly?
That might be the case, especially with Smoltz. The future Hall of Fame right-hander has a 0.82 ERA in two starts for the St. Louis Cardinals after going 2-5 with an 8.33 ERA in Boston. (Of course, those starts were against the Padres and Nationals, who aren't exactly the '27 Yankees.) But as a No. 4 or No. 5 starter on a team that's headed for the playoffs, Smoltz already has paid dividends.
Another possible reason for Smoltz's sudden renaissance: He was tipping his pitches in Boston. Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan, who has a track record of diagnosing and correcting that problem, saw it in Smoltz in Boston and in an early bullpen session.
"I had a little foot adjustment on the rubber that I kept sneaking away from the mound," Smoltz said on the Dan Patrick radio show, and reprinted by USA Today. "It was my heel and not to mention they noticed that I was tipping my pitches in my bullpen and if I was tipping them in my bullpen, I was tipping them on the mound."
Will the Giants be able to do the same for Penny? The Giants are tied for the NL wild-card lead, and already have a strong rotation of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and Barry Zito, who is finally living up to that huge contract.
Penny signed a minor-league deal, but will be eligible for the postseason because the deal was done just before the Aug. 31 deadline. And because he cleared waivers, he'll cost less than $100,000 in pro-rated salary. Bad for Penny's bottom line, but a great insurance policy for the Giants.
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