As all of you know, Jorge Julio is stinking up the joint. He can't throw strikes and when he accidentally does, he is getting hammered. Not to mention the mental lapses in holding runners on and basic defense. I know he joined the club late in Spring Training but he fields his position like he has never taken PFP (pitcher fielding practice) in his life.
If you were to ask the vast majority of the Marlins fans what to do with him, I'm sure the response would be DFA (designate for assignment). But the fans, in this case, sadly don't make that decision.
That is a decision for the front office and they apparently, for whatever reason I cannot fathom, want to ride on this train wreck a little longer to see if the cars will somehow magically jump back on the tracks even though they have never been on the tracks all season.
Fredi gave the company line after the game.
His ERA ballooned from 13.50 to 19.06, and Gonzalez was tight-lipped about what is next for him. Is there a point at which the Marlins become concerned about Julio?
"I'm sure there's a point, but we're not there yet," Gonzalez said.
Well, I am. Julio is just taking up a roster spot and blocking someone who I know can do the job down in Triple-A.
Julio can't be trusted at any point in a close game. And he is single-handedly turning potential victories into losses. Now, you could say the offense only scored 1 run last night and that is true. But how many runs did you think we were going to score against Oswalt on the road? It sure as heck wasn't going to be 6 with the way he was pitching.
Nonetheless, the front office will keep sending him to the mound in hopes that something magical will happen and in the meantime the Marlins will cough up leads and possible victories.
I know Jorge isn't pitching this way on purpose and I do feel sorry for the guy, but there are 24 other members of the team to consider. Not to mention the fans. This experiment needs to end.