 |
| Ivan Nova |
Over Nova's past six starts, he's 5-0 with a 0.85 ERA. He allowed only four earned runs over 42.1 innings, and he's doing more than just bum-slaying, too.
Sure, he has beaten the lowly Miami Marlins and Detroit Tigers during this stretch. But he's also beaten the AL West-leading Houston Astros and the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins -- twice.
Nova bent but did not crumble Monday night. He allowed two runs on 10 hits over 5.1 innings vs. Minnesota, but he did enough to earn the win as the Sox defeated the Twins, 6-4.
The South Siders broke a seven-game losing streak at Target Field, winning there for the first time since Aug. 20, 2018.
There's no question Nova deserves praise for a strong second half, but I'm starting to hear rumblings from some fans and media that the Sox should consider bringing him back for 2020.
Let's not get hasty here.
Nova is 9-9 with a 4.47 ERA over his 26 starts this season. Those numbers are an accurate reflection of who he is: He's a league-average starter at best; he's a back-end guy at best on a contending team. His career ERA is 4.28.
We all need to understand Nova is better than the guy who had a 6.01 ERA on June 18, yes, but he's also not as good as the guy who we've seen over the past six starts. There's a long-term track record established that tells the tale.
Is he really the "veteran presence" to fill out the 2020 rotation? Keep in mind that Nova will be entering his age-33 season. Shouldn't the Sox be aiming higher?
While Gerrit Cole is likely a pipe dream, the Sox should make a run at him. If Cole is out of reach, the market still has several pitchers better than Nova. Why not sign Zack Wheeler?
General manager Rick Hahn told Sox fans that we can "have nice things." Let's try for something "nice" before we settle for another year of mediocre Nova in the starting rotation.
No comments:
Post a Comment