Disclaimer: I am fully aware that the following graph does not actually resemble a roller coaster track thanks to my physics class in 9th grade.
These two graphs don’t tell us anything we don’t know about AJ Burnett: He is inconsistent and has magnificent and truly horrible starts. That’s just how he rolls. Like a roller coaster that is not actually possible. The line is simply tracking up many runs he’s given up each start.
This year’s roller coaster has been a bit bumpier than what we experienced in 2009. It hasn’t really been much fun to watch. Hopefully–and this is hope beyond hope–we’ll go down that hill and not have another long climb up. But he’s facing the Rangers in Texas tonight and that is honestly rather frightening, though the good news is he’s not likely to give up more runs than he did in his last start!
Click for full size
Click for full size
The 2009 AJ Coaster looks much more deadly and jarring.
It’s all part of AJ’s plan. The idea is to spend a few starts lulling the opposition into false confidence and then show up unbelievable. The one flaw to his plan is he really can’t control his pitches…at all.
In other news, after witnessing the new 2010 AJ roller coaster, Dave Eiland vomited.