THE JENKS JINX
White Sox closer Bobby Jenks left last night’s game with tightness in his pitching shoulder. Normally, I wouldn’t worry too much about this -- just some spring stiffness, right?
I’m not so sure.
Let’s take a look at some first- and second-half splits for Jenks last year:
First half: 2.83 ERA, one walk every 3.18 innings, .221 opponents batting average.
Second half: 5.72 ERA, one walk every 1.57 innings, .295 opponents batting average.
Jenks’ second-half swoon suggests he was suffering from a physical ailment. Perhaps it was simply fatigue, but perhaps it was something more severe. Jenks’ current tussle with shoulder stiffness suggests the latter.
Keep a very close eye on Jenks over the upcoming days and weeks. Maybe I’m making a mountain out of a molehill here, but when a player struggles late one year and then immediately gets hurt in camp the next year, I’m spending my auction dollars elsewhere.
