Aces Wild in 2013

Aces Wild in 2013

Coming into the 2013 season no one would have batted an eye if guys like Justin Verlander, Matt Cain, and CC Sabathia put up great numbers and led their teams on deep postseason runs. They’ve done it consistently for years now, why would this year be any different? Well, thus far in 2013, all three men are having seasons they would like to forget.

C.C. Sabathia has been an innings horse for the Yankees, and as the ace of the staff that’s exactly what he should be. Coming into this year there was a lot of pressure on Sabathia and the pitching staff because of all the injuries on the offensive side of the ball. Sabathia’s rotation mates, especially Hiroki Kuroda, have answered that call and performed well. The same cannot be said for Sabathia. He is 4-4 with a 3.96 ERA and only has 61 strikeouts. Sabathia has also seen a dip in velocity on his normally overpowering fastball, turning it into less of a weapon.

Matt Cain, while not facing a dip in velocity is also not the same pitcher he was in years past. More contact is being made and hits are finding their way through thanks to a defense that has not played well at all. Marco Scutaro and Brandon Crawford are among the league leaders in errors, coupled with the Kung Fu Panda playing third base with the grace and swiftness of an actual panda. It also doesn’t help that San Francisco doesn’t have an offense the caliber of teams like Texas or Detroit, who can never be counted out of a game.

Justin Verlander to this point in the season has a very un-Verlander like 6-4 record along with an ERA of 3.68. Recently he has been shelled by the powerful Rangers lineup and also hit around some by the pedestrian lineup of the Pirates. Having the Tigers lineup behind him and their ability to provide run support will help as the season wears on, even if Verlander continues to struggle but he, like Sabathia and Cain faces an even bigger problem than dips in velocity or bad defense.

All three of these pitchers, as stated above, are the number one guys in their respective rotations, and these are rotations that have had continued success and made deep postseason runs. The innings being pitched, along with being one year older is taking its toll on their arms. Consistently pitching between 200-300 innings a year catches up with even the best arms in the game. The overpowering nature of their career may very well be over, and only time will tell if their intelligence and ability to adapt can make up for it and allow them to have the continued success they’re used to.