Lance Lynn Looks To Make It 6 Straight Again

Lance Lynn and the St. Louis Cardinals are both headed in the right direction.  The team as a whole has won 6 straight games.  Lynn looks to tie a personal best 6 straight starts with a win tonight.  It certainly looks like a pretty good bet tonight, against the 12-20 Chicago Cubs.

There are those who say that Lance Lynn doesn’t have the ability to be a front line starter, but I’d say that he does.  Granted, last year he certainly tired a bit as the season wore on, but he wasn’t used to so many innings.  However, 35 starts and 6 post season appearances in 2012 leave little to question as far as his durability and ability.

May 1, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn (31) delivers a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Many baseball pundits also remark that Lynn’s weight loss program in the offseason and his fine-tuned delivery may eventually cause him to lose his identity as he tries to fully own and get used to both facets of his game.  I’d say that losing what looks to be about 30 pounds from his 250 pound frame last year is a good thing.  Weight loss takes pressure off your knees, certainly makes one feel in better overall health, and contributes to a more confident attitude in life.  I’m sure that translates to the mound for Lynn too.

The only thing I wish for Lance Lynn is that he would cut down on his walk total.  That would make for a much better pitch count and even better ERA than he’s got now.  15 walks in 36 innings is just too much, but you’ve got to love his 2.75 ERA, 39 Ks, 1.11 WHIP, and minuscule .197 BAA.  It’s unlikely that the batting average against will stay that good, but there’s also no reason to believe that it couldn’t, considering just how good Lynn can be.

Certainly the term Lynnsanity isn’t quite unique, seeing as how Jeremy Lin and friends coined the phrase initially, but this form of it is a new thing.  Lance Lynn has the ability to be a front line starter for years to come for the St. Louis Cardinals, and he constantly silences the doubters.  To those who say that he can’t go a long season and continue in success, he shows that he can go over 175 innings and produce an extremely good 18 wins.

To those who say the run support is there for him more than others, so what?  A win is a win, right?  A strikeout is still a strikeout, results are still results.  Don’t forget too the 5 straight wins to end the regular season last year that Lynn produced as well.  Not once in that span did he allow more than 4 earned runs.  Truly, only 4 of his starts last year were less than desirable.  Over a span of 35 trips to the mound, you can’t say that’s not impressive.

Accept it or not, Lynnsanity is here, and it’s here to stay.  In 2013, only his first start was not really in line with the trend.  Otherwise, Lynn has been remarkable.  I’d like to see a start or two in a row without a walk, but I’ll take what I can get when the results keep coming.

Enjoy the game tonight against the Chicago Cubs.  Let’s get win No. 21 and tie the Boston Red Sox for the best record in the MLB.