Give the Guy Some Credit: Tsuyoshi Wada Finds Card on Field

Tsuyoshi Wada looked pretty good in his first start after rehabbing and taking over the vacancy in the rotation left by Travis Wood’s move to the bullpen. Then again, a lot of folks noticed signs that Wada was — or is — primed for some issues down the road. It’s as though he was using a credit card rather than paying straight cash, homie, which is all well and good if you can keep the balance down. If, however, you’re not taking care of the debt it can really come back to bite you.

Getting fewer than 5 innings out of your starter and then having to lean on an inconsistent bullpen isn’t necessarily a formula for sustained success and I hope it’s not something we’ll see from Wada too often. I’m sure the fact that this was his first MLB start this year played a role, not to mention that he had to score from 1st on a triple, but the lefty will also have to prove that he can make it through an opposing lineup 2 and 3 times without getting touched up too badly. While I’m not losing sleep over it, that thought does give me a little anxiety.

It doesn’t scare me as much as the realization that I’ve lost something though. Like when search the house trying to find your car keys or when you open your wallet to find your credit card missing. I have to imagine someone in San Diego was feeling that way last night as they watched Wada pitch; in terms of the credit card thing, not his future performance. That’s because as he was walking to the dugout after the 3rd inning, Wada found a credit card on the field at Petco Park.

I suppose if the owner of the lost card was a Cubs fan, their fear would have been ratcheted up even further. Then again, most people probably don’t have much concern over a guy who stuck out a career-high 9 batters in his short 4 1/3 inning stint. If he can keep missing bats like that — avoiding hit collection agencies in the process — this Cubs rotation will have gotten much stronger for his presence in it.