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August 23, 2006
shut up and pitch
For the second time in three innings tonight -- during which he has given up four runs on five hits -- Brad Penny stopped on his way off the field to have a conversation with plate umpire Rick Reed, apparently about what Penny perceived as inconsistencies in Reed's strike zone. ...
The first of those conversations brought manager Grady Little out of the dugout to intervene. Add to this the tantrum Penny threw when Little removed him from a game in the fifth inning on May 29 at Atlanta -- which was caught on national television -- and the dugout shouting match Penny had with teammate Kenny Lofton on July 26 vs. San Diego -- which also was caught on local television -- and a clear pattern is developing.
Penny, the starting pitcher for the National League in this year's All-Star Game, is the Dodgers' staff ace. They can't afford for him to get himself kicked out of a game, even on a night like tonight when he isn't pitching especially well. Penny appears to be in the prime of a very promising career, and he is one victory short of his career high of 14 set in 2003, when he helped the Florida Marlins to a World Series title. But before he can truly be the cornerstone of a staff, he needs to stop pointing fingers when things don't go well.
Posted by Tony Jackson at August 23, 2006 07:32 PM