CNS: Pitching Needed

The tendency seen in the first matches of the 62nd National Baseball Series should not change much, if the structure announced since before the play ball shout is kept.

Swollen scores and batting well above pitching are not alien to Cuban baseball in recent times, but neither does it correspond to what’s expected at the beginning of a tournament, when pitching arms are fresh and, generally, the bats weigh more because of the training carried out before a long-term event.

However, the proposed schedule, with five games in a row, including a back-to-back in-between, leaves managing of teams to appeal to pitchers who aren't quite ready to take on that role yet.

The high number of rookies for this National Series would not be too worrying, if each one were taking by the hand as they should be, step by step, but the urgencies of each team to have a good result ask for another extra gear, since many of them are learning on teh go.

Some will, but others, I'm afraid most of them, will pay the consequences with disastrous numbers and, what’s worse, with injuries.

Unfortunately, it’s not something that has a short-term solution, because in this campaign we’re under pressure from an international calendar in which, for the first time in history, the Central American and Caribbean Games and the Pan American Games converge.

The CNS could have continued in the middle of both competitions, but in addition to losing media support, the domestic competition would suffer much more if it loses the remaining talents in about a month, between those who are already hired and those who are leaving half way.

That’s why it’s also difficult to talk about forecasts for this Series, because the roster of each team varies too much from one month to the next, and that is often translated into results.

It’s not the first time, this is how we’ve played the last competitions, but now the pitching puzzle gets on top of that, because if teams had a rough time finding four more or less good starters, now, with five games, it’s a real dilemma.

Besides, it's not just starters, because when you have a back-to-back, you have to manage relievers very well because they can't be used on consecutive days, and the managers have to analyze each moment thinking about the next day as well.

In short, these scores where an average of 12 runs in each game, far from being rare, will be common on almost all dates. Let the reserve pitchers prepare well, because their arms are going to be needed.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff