For established big-leaguers like reigning NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer, spring training means next to nothing. To illustrate what a farce Cactus and Grapefruit League games are, consider a new rule allowing teams to fast-forward to the next inning, regardless of how many outs or runners on base, if a pitcher exceeds 20 pitches. Blue Jays skipper Charlie Montoyo exercised this option Sunday in a game against the Yankees, pulling Tanner Roark mid-frame (he had already logged 27 pitches) before reinserting him the following inning. Hell, Cleveland and San Francisco even staged an inning without umpires recently, after the Giants had already won in the top half of the ninth.
Bauer, whose new contract makes him the highest-paid pitcher in MLB, hasn’t taken the Dodgers’ spring slate especially seriously, channeling his inner-Jack Sparrow by pitching with one eye shut in a game earlier this month. But even with all that in mind, it was still jarring to see one of the most dominant pitchers of the past three years serve up three home runs in a four-batter span Monday against the Mariners, who haven’t reached the playoffs since 2001. After cruising through the first four innings, the wheels fell off for Bauer in the fifth with Evan White, Jose Marmolejos and Mitch Haniger each taking the right-hander deep.
Bauer seemed to laugh it off, reacting much more favorably to Monday’s results than he did two years ago under similarly disastrous circumstances in Kansas City. In that instance, Bauer showed his disgust by launching a ball into the center-field bleachers. Manager Terry Francona was none too pleased with that display and apparently neither were the Indians, who traded him to Cincinnati days later.
The Mariners have long been a thorn in Bauer’s side, as evidenced by his 2-4 record in 10 career outings (nine starts) against them. Monday’s clunker did a number on Bauer’s spring ERA, which ballooned from 2.03 all the way to its current 4.08. Bauer took it on the chin against Seattle, but at least the 30-year-old got it out of his system before the games start counting in April.
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