How Exactly Has Smoltz Been Good?

John Smoltz was one of my favorite pitchers to watch growing up. He was a big-game pitcher with a big arm and when the Yankees stunk in the early 90s, I rooted for his Braves on TBS as they took down the National League. Glavine and Maddux got a lot of glory on those teams, but Smoltz was the big power pitcher I would want in a 7th game. 

Flash-forward to 2009 and John Smoltz is on the hated Red Sox. I can't root for him anymore. So there's a little bias in this statement, but: how the heck has John Smoltz been good?

FanGraphs says that Smoltz is fine and I should ignore the record and ERA (that was before his last start). Orel Hershiser thinks we should just expect that he's going to turn it around. I'm sorry, but why?

Smoltz has 7 starts this season and has gone 2-4 with a 7.12 ERA and WHIP of 1.500. He's given up 12.3 H/9 and 1.5 HR/9 which are both highs for a season for Smoltz. And the level of competition hasn't exactly been fierce (he's pitched against only one semi-decent team), here are his starts so far:

• June 25 - L @ the Nationals - 5 IP, 7 hits, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 1 HBP (fine...it's his first start. Needs a start to get out the kinks)
• June 30 - ND @ the Orioles - 4 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO (pitched OK, but only 4 IP and this is the game that bullpen imploded so they needed the innings from him)
• July 6 - L vs the Athletics - 6 IP, 10 hits, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO (longest outing of the season so far, but not much to show for it)
• July 11 - W vs the Royals - 5 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO, 1 HBP (best outing of the season, but easier to win when your team gives you 15 runs of support)
• July 20 -  L @ the Rangers - 5.2 IP, 9 hits, 6 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 3 HR (he didn't walk anybody...?)
• July 26 - L vs. the Orioles - 5 IP, 9 hits, 6 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 1 HR (Ummm...?)
• July 31 - W @ the Orioles - 6 IP, 8 hits, 5 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2 HR, 1 HBP (He got the W, but this can't be considered a well-pitched game)

Now I'm probably jinxing the guy right before he comes to face the Yankees (not a good decision by me, I know). And I know, by his history, that you should never count John Smoltz out. But how is this considered pitching well? If Daisuke Matsuzaka stops fighting with the Red Sox (as reported by the Boston Globe) and comes back from his rehab, I wonder if the BoSox will try to transition Smoltz to the 'pen. With Victor Martinez now in the lineup, the team should score enough to get him a few wins in the rotation. But with a 7.12 ERA, if John Smoltz is doing well, then Sergio Mitre ain't so bad after all.

 

(picture via ESPN/Getty Images)