Last Friday after work I went to Happy Hour with the coworkers, including The Marathon Man.  The Mets-Braves game was on.  We watched a bit.  The Braves starting pitcher was junkball lefty Mark Redman.  I "owned" him in a Fantasy Baseball League for a few years (not this year, though), so I am quite familiar with the off-speed, change-up throwing monster that is Redman.  Also, he is apparently unpaid, according to Jordi over at TheSeriousTip

Sidenote: My favorite "junkball lefty" of all-time is Jimmy Key.  He was 18-6 with a 3.00 ERA for the awful 1993 Yankees, followed by a 17-4, 3.27 '94 season.  He also had a big year in '97, going 16-10 with a 3.43 ERA.  And he had much success in Toronto, from 1985-1992.  The name Jimmy Key draws lots of love from the old skool Yankee fans, like DepressedFan who mentioned him in his post yesterday.  Other names: John Candelaria, Richard Dotson, Andy Hawkins (I saw him throw a no-hitter, and lose 4-0), David Eiland, Lee Gutterman, Jimmy Jones, Dave LaPoint, Eric Ker-Plunk, Chuck Cary, Scott Sanderson and Tim Leary.  That was all free-styling, off the dome, yo!

Of course, Jimmy Key also had no velocity.  That led to one of my favorite conversations with IllWill: 

SML: "Jimmy Key reminds me of myself.  He's a lefty, he throws nothing but change-ups..."
IllWill: "If he throws it all the time, is it really a 'change-up'?  Isn't it really a 'same-up', yo?

Back to Redman.  I accurately predicted everything about his performance in that game - that he would give up one, maybe two runs in the first four innings.  He did give up two runs in the first four innings.  That he would then get into trouble in the 5th inning, probably with two outs.  After getting Oliver Perez and Jose Reyes out, Lo Duca singled, Beltran walked, and Redman got Delgado to swing at a bad pitch for the strikeout.

To get out of those situations it usually requires an undisciplined hitter, the bottom of the order, or a great defensive play.  I said that he wouldn't make it out of the sixth, and that the difference between the good Redman line (somewhere between 5 and 6 innings pitched, 2 runs allowed) and the bad Redman line (5 2/3, 4 runs) would be the bullpen.

Well, David Wright led off with a double, then Alou flew out.  Shawn Green then singled, but Valentin popped out.  Big at-bat for Redman.  If he can Oliver Perez (the pitcher!) out, he can get a 6 inning, 3 earned run start (the good Redman line).  But no, Perez singled.  Oscar Villarreal then relieved Redman, and gave up a two-run triple to Jose Reyes.  Both runs were charged to Redman, which means: 5 2/3, 5 earned runs.

I say this not to sound like a know-it-all, but to let ya know, so you can watch for it when he pitches.  Besides the best, most accurate thing that was said about Redman wasn't anything I said - it was The Marathon Man, with this comment: "Mark Redman should have a 80 pitch count limit". 

Exactly.  Someone get Bobby Cox a report on Mark Redman.  He threw 112 pitches that game.  Bobby, this is freaking Mark Redman!  You know his song:

Dedicated to all the lefties throwing junk out there, not going very far...

Every time I give up a run, man
Bobby gets on the phone to the bullpen,
I ask myself why, oh, why
see you must understand
I can work past the 6th, man
so I'll be gone by the seventh
I'll be gone by the seventh
yo, tell my manager, I'll be gone by the seventh.

September, August, July, June, May
please call the bullpen, I can't stay
I'll by gone by the seventh
I'll be gone by the seventh
and taking a shower.

Got no arm strength, please don't try
When I rear back, you know 80's the limit's, my high
I can get outs by changing my delivery slot
And making sure my pitchs hit the right spot
But going more than six is not how I'm wired,
If my arm could talk it would tell you it was tired
Lifestyle of the lefty starting pitcher
Some get paid, some are richer,
But I'll by gone by the seventh
I'll be gone by the seventh.

Ha, I bet you thought I was gonna do a Redman song, right? 

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