The Trouble With Mota

I want to take you back a few weeks. It was during a Week Recap I had this to say about Guillermo Mota:

"...So, now the question becomes: What to do with him? I mean, I feel like we all know he has more than a couple bad outings left in that arm of his, and they are bound to show up sooner or later. But how do you get rid of a man who's pitched 9.1 scoreless innings in his last 8 games? I just hope when the inevitable melt-down occurs, it's not in a big game. Who knows, though? Maybe he's turned the corner... (Nah...)"

Flash forward to tonight. Now granted, since that time Mota has added another three scoreless innings. But I feel like I've created a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Tonight, he served up the game-winning homerun to Juan Rivera.

I know, it's just one run. One in a month. Everyone gives up runs. Chad Billingsley gave up four tonight.

But I think this is what I always worried about.

Joe Torre is confusing pitching good with being a good pitcher.

Guillermo Mota has been pitching good this last month.

He is NOT a good pitcher.

I go back to what I said before, about the inevitable meltdown. It happened exactly where I hoped it wouldn't. An important moment during a big game.

Mota should not be used in the 8th inning (or later). And really, for that matter, if possible, he shouldn't be used in the 7th.

But by pitching well this last month (following a month and a half of bad pitching), he's lulled Joe Torre into a false sense of security. And because of that, Torre has slowly allowed Mota to enter games at later and later points, until he put him in a place where he could blow a game. And Mota obliged.

What I'm saying is, Torre needs to remember that Mota is a bad pitcher who has been pitching good and should be treated as such.

I'm not calling for his head (his scary... scary head) like I was a couple months ago.

I just don't want to see him in any inning that begins with a number higher than seven.

Otherwise, things could get ugly...