Wednesday, June 3, 2009

The Curious Case of Scott Bittle

As the excitement and sheer awe has subsided after Drew Pomeranz's performance Monday night, the Rebels have gotten down to business in preparations for a very good UVA team. The Cavaliers will roll into town this weekend with a ridiculous 3.19 team ERA and a lofty 46-12-1 record.

One of the biggest rumors circulating now is that ace righty Scott Bittle will be available to pitch this weekend against the 'Hoos. Some are very optimistic about it, others not so much.

Count me in the "not so much" group, more specifically the "No Chance in Hell he Pitches" group.

Bittle hasn't pitched in a live game since April 26th when he won the series-clinching game against Georgia. Friday's opening game against UVA will be 40 days since he last pitched. How effective do you really think he would be dropping him into a relief role in a high-pressure Super Regional environment in front of 10,000+ fans?

I tried as hard as any Rebel fan to will Bittle back from his arm troubles, but it's just not going to happen... at least not this weekend. Playing long toss during practice is a completely different animal than toeing the rubber on a mound. Bittle relies so much on his breaking stuff that it's unreasonable to think that his he'll pitch this weekend.

There's a good chance he'll be on the 25-man roster if for no other reason than to give the 'Hoos staff and players the illusion that they might have to face him. Even so, I'll be shocked if he even gets up to throw in the pen.

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