Well, here's the move we've been waiting for. Mark Sheldon is saying that, as expected, Nick Masset is finally going on the DL (even though he's been hurt for over a week) and coming up in his place will be RHP Ramon Ramirez. As most people are probably asking, why the hell is Ramon Ramirez coming up? After all, he's 0-3 on the season with a 5.08 ERA in 7 starts for the Bats. Here's what I figure as the thought process behind the decision:
- It looks like they wanted to avoid putting a player on the 40-man, which is perplexing because Bill Bray is getting surgery on his elbow and could be transferred to the 60-day DL. Pedro Viola should be the obvious choice here, as he'd be another lefty out of the 'pen, he can pitch a few innings if needed, and has performed the best so far this year. There's gotta be something else behind it. Maybe another move after Lincoln is
assassinateddesignated for assignment? - So if they're not adding a player to the 40-man, we can eliminate a few guys right off the bat. Since Masset isn't there anymore, the need is for a long reliever, or a starter with Owings moving into the long relief spot. That means the short relievers probably won't be doing much good right now. No Roenicke, no Fisher (even though he used to start, he's a short reliever now), no Manuel (same thing) and no Bray since his arm is falling off.
- That leaves Bailey, Maloney, LeCure, Thompson and Ramirez to call up. It seems like it's been decided that Bailey isn't coming out of the bullpen, so he's out unless you move Owings to long relief, which he's been fine in the rotation so that's not really necessary. Also, he's pitching tonight, so he won't be available for a few days. Maloney and LeCure have no major league experience, and no experience out of the bullpen either. Maloney's numbers are good to warrant a callup, but it won't happen until later on in the season when he can start.
- That leaves Thompson and Ramirez. Thompson fought the injury bug early in the season, and in his 5 starts, he's been worse than Ramirez.
- Ramirez's numbers have been ugly for the most part, but in his last two starts, both have been quality starts. In his last start, Ramirez gave up 3 runs in 7 innings and left with a 5 run lead before Viola and Fisher blew it in the 8th and 9th. He was even better in the start before that, pitching 8 shutout innings in a 0-0 tie that was broken in the 13th.
So basically what I'm saying, is that while this move seems perplexing on the surface, there seems to actually be a rational thought process behind it.
What do you guys think? Is Ramirez the right choice? Is this going to last for a few days or be a long-term thing? Personally, I would have gone with Viola to the bullpen and Bray to the 60-day DL, but I'm curious as to what you guys think.