I was a fan of Jesse Litsch this spring, and even had him on my keeper league, amongst others. Looking at his game log from last season, Litsch was the model of consistency, and he rarely walked anybody. Litsch even had an amazing run this season of 5 or 6 games in a row with out walking a batter, almost Greg Maddux like. I think he might even own the Blue Jays record now.
Regardless, if you still own him, it is time to cut bait, even if the Blue Jays can't.
Since MLB has an unbalanced schedule, Litsch will be facing a heavy dose of Red Sox , Yankees and Rays bats this August and September.
For Litsch, it was his sixth loss since May 29, when he began to slide after a 7-1 start to the season. He has only one win since then, and a pair of no decisions.
Since May 29, he has given up a career-high 10 hits in a game three times. He has also given up 32 hits in his last four starts.
Litsch's prolonged slide on a struggling Jays team leaves him at the first serious crossroads in his still young career. Toronto has No. 2 starter Dustin McGowan on the long term injury shelf (shoulder), and will need Litsch to pick up his performance.
The Blue Jays, for the time being, will weather Litsch's problems. They essentially have no choice. While they have first-round pick David Purcey ready to come up from the minors, the club is not about to give up on a solid young talent as he struggles through the first rough patch in his big league experience
