Oakland Athletics: Bartolo Colon’s Recent Struggles Are A Cause For Concern
Jul 31, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Bartolo Colon (40) returns to the dugout against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Bartolo Colon seemed unstoppable.
An ERA sitting at the 2.50 mark, fifteen straight quality starts, and an All-Star appearance made Colon seem like the ace of the Oakland Athletics rotation for the rest of the season, and it made him seem like the ace to carry them through the playoffs.
How quickly that changed. Colon has had to endure two poor starts in his last two games.
First came the game against Cincinnati Reds. Colon didn’t get out of the third inning, allowing five runs, all of which were earned, in the process. More importantly, the A’s lost. But every pitcher has a bad game once in a while, and the prevailing belief was that he would bounce back. He didn’t.
Next came the Houston Astros, worst team in Major League Baseball. Another bad outing. He allowed five earned runs in only four innings. The A’s lost again, losing ground to the division leading Texas Rangers. This is when the panic started to arise.
Why the sudden turnaround? Will he get back to his usual self? Health and fatigue may be explanations for his recent struggles.
Bob Melvin blamed Colon’s first bad start on a stomach ailment. That was the reason he was capping his fastball in the mid-80s and not hitting all his spots. With a stomach illness, it is understandable that Colon had a rough start. It is quite possible that Colon hadn’t gotten over the illness when he pitched against the Astros, either.
On Saturday, Colon was put on the disabled list with an injured groin. This injury, along with his stomach problems, could explain the struggles on the mound. If this is indeed the root of his bad outings, Colon should be good to go when he is off the disabled list and healthy.
However, Colon is 40 years old. Youth is not in his favor anymore. A recovery from injury can sometimes be difficult for someone Colon’s age. By the time he returns from the DL, he should be free of the stomach sickness, but the A’s must be cautious; groin injuries can be easily re-aggravated.
Even though it should be good to hear that Colon’s pitching woes can be attributed to injury and illness, some concern should come from the fact that he is 40 years old and not in the best of shape. Baseball’s long season can lead to fatigue, especially for someone at Colon’s age. Fatigue can lead to injury and illness, which could make it the main culprit for Colon’s issues.
Thus, a stint on the DL should be helpful to not only heal Colon’s groin, but to also give him the energy to finish the season strong, getting back to his usual self in the final stretch of the season and in the playoffs.
In the meantime, Tommy Milone will take a spot in the rotation and put forth his best effort to help the A’s try to capture the division from the red-hot Texas Rangers. If division is won and Colon comes back as his former self in the playoffs, A’s fans could be in for a fun postseason ride.