Very true statement. In the college ranks a coach isn’t goin to be too concerned with pitch counts, days rest, etc. However, with Duncan and Tony he’s an investment that will be monitored.

The challenge is whether he will be allowed to throw that many. I’m sure he could have thrown another inning last week. The question is whether, if four innings is what he gives, if that’s something the big club can use from a starter.

I think the Oakland premise above is exactly what the Cardinals had in 2004-6. Woody Williams, Jason Marquis, and Jeff Suppan were all basically mediocre groundball pitchers with superb defenses behind them. But things haven’t changed that much. There are still two designated locations on the field for crappy fielders: 2B and left. Perhaps center, right and third aren’t what they were back then, but the defensive emphasis is still there. The staff is still mediocre except for the top two.