Super News! /sarcasm

EDIT: I just heard that Pineda was feeling soreness in his shoulder before the game, but didn't tell anybody about it. It probably didn't help that he not only went out and pitched anyway, but that he tried to throw harder too. Perhaps the fact he was still able to throw as many pitches as he did is a good sign, as a bigger injury would have probably made him leave the game sooner.

Well, well, well.

Michael Pineda left today's game against the Phillies after 2.2 innings. Something just didn't seem right about him this evening. For starters, his fastball was "cutting" instead of "tailing". And although he doesn't have the greatest control in MLB, Pineda was all over the place (his BB/9 last season was 2.89, and he walked 3 in those 2.2 innings tonight).

Michael was visibly upset when he left the game, and for good reason as he was booed by those at Steinbrenner Field. And now we learn that he felt soreness in the back of his shoulder. Pineda also admitted to trying to throw harder.

That last line kind of ticks me off.

I mean... why was he trying to throw harder? Sure, his batting average against was a bit high (.283), but the results were still there as he had struck out 16 batters in 16.1 innings, with an ERA of 3.31.

You know what I think? I think all the talk about his velocity, which has been discussed ad nauseum by everybody from baseball writers to the weird guy at work who thinks his comb-over is fooling people, finally got to him. Seattle is not exactly New York, so I have no doubt that all the talk was a bit overwhelming for Pineda. To the point where he finally tried to shut them up by going out there and throwing as hard as he could. And what happens? Injury.

It would be nice if people could finally shut the hell up about his velocity, or lack thereof, and just let the guy pitch. Even at 90% Michael Pineda is a #2 pitcher in MLB, and for that reason I believed he was not going to AAA to start the season. That way he would not only keep getting work in and improving, but he would still be putting the team in a position to win games... something he wouldn't be able to do in AAA.

But now, who knows? I just hope that soreness is not a sign of a bigger problem.