Mix And (Mis)Match
Jason Roach is back on the mound tonight against Calgary's Evan Greusel, who is 3-0. Roach has had all kinds of difficulties transitioning into a starter's mindset after initially coming to the Outlaws as a reliever. On top of that, the combined record of starters Roach has faced is 17-4.
Such matchups between proven dependables and unseasoned starters like Roach are huge in the GBL since there is such a distinct discrepancy between the two types of pitchers. The more of those you can come across, the more wins you have a chance of stockpiling.
It reminds me of a game I saw at Dodgers Stadium on the second night of the season in 2001. Young Eric Gagne was starting for Los Angeles against one Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks. As was always customary with Gagne during his days in the starting rotation, he had a crummy start before putting together five or six of the most glorious innings you thought you'd ever seen. That night, obviously, Johnson wasn't going to buckle at all and surely enough beat the Dodgers for what was something like a 3-2 victory.