Rapada Called Up, Larish Sent Down

by Ian Casselberry on Apr 28, 2009 3:30 PM EDT in News Comment 4 comments

After Bobby Seay was used for the third straight game last night against the Yankees, the question was who would be available out of the bullpen if the Tigers needed a situational left-hander for the next two games? (Jim Leyland seems to think Nate Robertson isn't suited for that role.) That little dilemma has been taken care of, according to the Freep's John Lowe.

Clay Rapada has been called up from Triple-A Toledo. Going down to make room for him on the roster is Jeff Larish.

Rapada has pitched in eight games so far this season for the Mud Hens, giving up four runs and 10 hits in six innings. However, he's also struck out seven batters. Last year with Detroit, Rapada went 3-0 with a 4.22 ERA in 25 appearances.

This is a tough break for Larish, who made the team out of Spring Training, and looked to be a valuable left-handed power bat for the Tigers. However, with the emergence of Josh Anderson, and the speed he's added to the lineup, Larish just wasn't getting off the bench lately.

It'll be interesting to see if this turns out to be a somewhat temporary move, as Seay needs a rest for this current series and Leyland likely prefers another lefty against the likes of Grady Sizemore, Victor Martinez, and Travis Hafner when the Tigers play the Indians this weekend.

(Hat tip to Kurt, who's apparently much more alert at his computer than I am. It's probably a good thing he's filling in here!)

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Just can't let go

Not til you hit the road to Seattle. Are you kidding about going for clerical reasons or just going to see Ichiro? I’m so out of it, I don’t know.

"It's designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything is new again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops, and leaves you to face the fall alone". A. Bartlett Giamatti

by densogirl on Apr 28, 2009 3:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't think Seay's overworked

Bringing my comment in Billfer’s game thread at DTW last night:

    Also, regarding getting Bobby Seay help, I don’t think getting him LOOGY help is necessary. He’s appeared in a lot of games this year, yes, however it goes deeper than that:

    2007: 46.1 Innings, 749 pitches.
    2008: 56.1 innings, 979 pitches.
    2009: 7.1 innings, 83 pitches (updated for tonight’s outing as well)

    That means he’s averaging:

    07: 16.18 pitches per inning
    08: 17.39 pitches per inning
    09: 11.37 pitches per inning

    Now let’s look at the batters he’s facing:

    2007: 189 batters faced
    2008: 246
    2009: 24

    That breaks down to:

    07: 4.08 batters per inning.
    08: 4.37 batters per inning.
    09: 3.29 batters per inning.

    So his work load has been dramatically reduced. To reach the 950 pitch mark at his current workload, Seay would have to pitch about 83-84 innings. Considering he’s at less than an inning per outing thus far (7.1 innings, 10 appearances) he can feasibly pitch in 81 games no problem.

by Mike Rogers on Apr 28, 2009 4:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Ooops

I have forgotten that Seay’s worked 3 days in a row (relatively stress free), so i can see the logic behind the move and don’t disagree with it.

by Mike Rogers on Apr 28, 2009 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good move

last thing you want is Seay to develop a stress-related injury early in the season and lose him for an extended period. Nice statistical work Mike, I hope he can keep that pace up all year. I feel like Seay is one of the better LOOGYs in the MLB, but I can’t really think of too many others. Am I just being a homer or is Seay the real deal?

by handsomerob1 on Apr 28, 2009 6:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs