Starting Pitching: Thirteen different pitchers started games for Ottawa in the first half of the 2007 season. Injuries and ineffectiveness were the main culprits as manager John Russell was forced at times to use anyone he could find who was available to pitch in any capacity. The Lynx best starter left in May, ( Brian Mazone), the second best starter was out from mid May to early July, ( Matt Childers), and the promising J.A. Happ couldn’t go deep into games, was injured and then ineffective upon his return. By the All-Star break, two inexperienced and recently promoted to Triple A pitchers were becoming the most reliable members of a patchwork rotation.

Matt Childers: Injuries and a suspension limited Childers to only eight starts in the first half and a 4-1 record. His first start since his return was a four inning outing in which he allowed five runs and five hits in four innings. Understandably the rust was showing after his long layoff but his return should go a long way towards stabilizing the rotation. Despite the numbers which don’t look impressive, Childers should be the ace of the staff in the second half. He had an ERA of 4.17, a very high WHIP of 1.54 and he allowed 50 hits in 41 innings but pitched better than those stats would indicate.

J.A. Happ: This twenty four year old lefty is considered one of the jewels of the Philadelphia farm system but has struggled this season averaging only 4.5 innings pitched per start. A stint on the DL was certainly worrisome to the organization but Happ was promoted for one start with the Phillies after coming off the DL and has one start in July. The Lynx were working hard with Happ to get him stretched out and to the point where he could pitch at least six innings per start but his injury has virtually forced the team to start over with him. From what I’ve seen this season Happ is too good to not make an impact in the second half and scouts I have spoken to are still impressed with the young lefty. He had a record of 1-3 in fourteen starts with an ERA of 4.97, an ERA greatly inflated due to his last outing in which he gave up seven runs in 0.2 innings in his first Lynx start after the DL. That start didn’t help his WHIP for the first half which was 1.64. Throw out that start and his ERA would be 4.25. Despite his layoff, Happ continues to lead the team in strikeouts with 67, maintaining his more than one strikeout per inning record. Happ will be one of the keys this second half for Ottawa.

Charles Weatherby III: Weatherby has appeared in nine games and started four and has been impressive in his short time with the Lynx. After starting the season in A ball at Clearwater, Weatherby is pitching like someone who is forcing the Lynx hand and making a spot for himself on the pitching staff. In his last three games, (all starts), he has gone at least five innings and in the three starts totalled seventeen innings, allowed fourteen hits and only four runs. Despite those solid numbers, he has only a 1-0 record to show for his efforts and a 2-1 record overall. He has an ERA of 3.16 and an excellent WHIP of 1.09 and has a 2:1 strikeout to walk ratio. His days in the bullpen should definitely be a thing of the past and he should be a solid third man in the rotation in the second half. (Note: Weatherby was sent back down to Double A Reading today, so much for predictions but I still like him as a Lynx starter and I guess player development is what Philadelphia is concerned with more than performance?).

Landon Jacobsen: Another late call up in the first half, Jacobsen has also been steady. He has appeared in three games for Ottawa with two starts. After compiling a 6-5 record with Double A Reading, Jacobsen went six innings with no runs allowed in his first start for a win and five innings in his second, allowing two runs and a no decision. His third appearance was in relief where he was charged with a loss despite pitching 1.23 innings in relief and allowing no earned runs. Although 12.2 innings is not enough to draw any meaningful conclusions and he did have an Era of 4.61 in sixteen starts for Reading, he has looked comfortable in Triple A and may be the answer for the search for a fifth starter.

Bubba Nelson: With a won-lost of 2-5 and an ERA of 4.31, Nelson has either been very solid or been hit hard-no in between although his last two starts have been good. In his eight starts for the Lynx in the first half, Norton has been the losing pitcher in his last four. After a bad first game against Durham and a mediocre one in his second start, he allowed only one run in his next thirteen innings, including eight innings of four hit, one run ball against Columbus on June 15^th. Following that was a poor outing, followed by a fairly solid six innings and then two well pitched games in which he agin went six. He has a decent WHIP 1.31 but a very poor strikeout to walk ratio, (28-21). Like most of the starters in the first half, you’re never certain what he’ll bring to the mound on any given start but his last three have been encouraging. He averaged six innings per start though which was something the bullpen desperately needed.

Heath Totten: Totten has started six games for the Lynx since his promotion from Reading and has been hit hard and often in his last four. He has an overall record of 1-7, and ERA of 7.09 and a WHIP of 1.73. Totten lost his last four starts and allowed twenty two earned runs in twenty innings pitched while allowing an opposition batting average of .348. Obviously Totten is not part of the solution in the second half.

Zach Segovia: Segovia was returned to Double A Reading and with good reason. With a bit of luck early in the season, Segovia could have had a better won-lost record but in his last few starts he was clearly overmatched at the Triple A level. Segovia is only twenty three and could return to the Lynx if he gets straightened out at Double A but the damage to the first half has already been done. Segovia made thirteen starts, went 1-9 with an ERA of 6.05 and a WHIP of 1.64. He lead the team in innings pitched, (77.1), and gave up a very high total of 99 hits and had more walks than strikeouts, (28-22). Ouch! Oddly enough, Segovia pitched the only complete game for the Lynx in the first half.

J.D. Durbin: He’s up with the Phillies as everyone knows but he did spend most of the first half with Ottawa which is why I am including him here. Durbin started ten games and went 2-4 with an ERA of 4.55 and a WHIP of 1.48. He gave up a lot of home runs, (9 in 59.1 innings, most on the team), and allowed 67 hits. His last start for Ottawa was one of his best, (seven innings and only two runs allowed), but up until then he had few quality starts. As the pitching situation is desperate in Philadelphia, especially the starting pitching, Durbin got the call more by default than anything else but with an ERA of 14.0 in four games, Durbin could soon return.

Eude Brito: Brito, to be fair really a relief pitcher, has been lit up in almost every one of his starts this season. In twelve games, (eight starts), he is 1-4 with an ERA of 7.71. His WHIP is 1.93 and he has allowed seven home runs in only 37.1 innings. His last start was very good, (six innings-four hits and no runs), and his third was okay but in between he has been hit hard, often and early. He needs to get back to the bullpen perhaps even as a situational lefty where he could be much more effective. Again, another Lynx starter with a very high WHIP and more walks than strikeouts, (22-18).

The starting rotation needs to stay healthy, get their rhythm and start going deep into games or the second half won’t be any prettier than the first.