Litsch out, Purcey in

Jesse Litsch

Through the end of May, Jesse Litsch was 7-1 with 3.18 ERA. Now, after going 1-6 and 6.12 in June and July, the sophomore right-hander is on his way back to Syracuse for some seasoning. Don’t fret, though, Jays fans, he’ll be back in due time.

One thing that stands out about Litsch is he acts like he belongs in the big leagues. Unlike his replacement, David Purcey, Litsch has never looked nervous in his time in Toronto, as was especially evident in his memorable debut last June against Baltimore. In that game, Litsch allowed just four hits and a run while coming up one out short of a complete game.

He did, however, struggle at points last season, but bounced back, which makes it all the more possible to believe his latest rough stretch is just another hiccup on his road to becoming an established major league starter. In his fourth start of 2007, Litsch gave up five runs and failed to get out of the first inning against the Yankees, and was subsequently sent to the minors afterwards. He was recalled a month later, and responded with four quality starts in his first five outings. Then, after losing his first three starts of September, Litsch finished the season by allowing just three runs in his final three starts, two of which were against Boston and New York.

Purcey has struggled mightily in his two starts with the Jays this season, surrendering nine runs and 11 walks in just seven-and-a-third innings. Both, however, were spot starts, and the former first round draft pick’s confidence should benefit from having an established spot in the rotation, at least for the time being. He’s been great at Syracuse thus far, going 8-6 with a 2.69 ERA in 19 starts, and was a starting pitcher in last week’s International League All-Star Game.

I’m not sure this move is in any way a sign of whether or not the team thinks it has a shot at competing the rest of the season. At this point in time, it just looks as though Purcey has earned a chance to start regularly, and Litsch has shown he’s in need of some work on the farm. In the long run, both should benefit from the move.