It Could Have Been Worse

Really it could have been much worse. Here are some of the positives to keep in mind about Joba's first start:

• At one point he clocked 101 mph on the radar gun
• Going into the game his pitch count was limited to 65
• Even with all the walks he kept the Jays at bay through his three innings of work

Now of course there are other things to consider. Obviously starting is a lot different that throwing a handful of pitches in the 8th inning, especially when you know Rivera is coming up behind you. As the Jay's said after the game, Joba has relied on being able to get players to chase the ball late in the game. They aren't as willing to do that early on so Joba is going to need to fine tune and perfect his location. He missed the black quite a bit last night when he was behind on the count but that isn't something that he can't work on.

Joba has gotten so used to being close to perfect it isn't surprising that early struggles are going to get into his head a little bit. Fortunately I think that the pitch limit is going to help him work through it much more gradually rather than the trial by fire that Hughes and Kennedy faced. Still, it is too early to decide whether or not Joba will be the next Ron Guidry but that wont stop me from looking for the positives.