"Respectable" Start: New Stat?

Be honest, you're going to be glad when this paper ceases to exist:

The final game Sunday in the Milwaukee-Atlanta series was a backdrop for the overriding Brewers issue for armchair general managers everywhere. After the beating Manny Parra took in his previous start at Florida, the reactionary response might have been to get him out of the rotation and take a look at the suddenly available Glavine.

In a game desperate for pitching, someone might roll the dice on Glavine. But it shouldn't be the Brewers. It's hard to see where they would have a need for a 43-year-old soft-tosser who is essentially done. The Braves did the right thing, even if they went about it absolutely the wrong way.

Meanwhile, Parra was respectable Sunday. He was hurt by one of the best switch-hitters baseball has seen, and one of the gopher balls he threw to Chipper Jones was a decent pitch. He didn't lose the game. Point is, Parra's stuff remains such that giving up on him too soon wouldn't be altogether advisable.

5.2 innings pitched, 5 earned runs. 2 home runs. 8 hits, 2 walks. Mike Hunt is the teacher that gives out an A for effort. Notice though, Parra didn't lose the game! All right! He was spared that meaningless stat by the offense, which of course renders the ineffective pitching meaningless.

Hell, Parra kept em in there. He was giving up a run an inning but for awhile there, the Brewers were scoring a run an inning. Makes perfect sense to me. Damn fine, respectable even Manny.

Tom Glavine 2008: 13 starts, 5.54 ERA 1.642 WHIP 77 ERA+

Manny Parra 2009: 11 starts, 6.75 ERA, 1.831 WHIP 63 ERA+

Manny Parra is really not very good. He does not belong in the rotation of a contender if it can be helped. If the Brewers can make an upgrade, they should. Is Glavine that upgrade? I don't know, how cheap is he? Is he worth a shot? Definitely. Hell, it's not easy to pitch worse than Parra at this point.

All in all though, Mike Hunt's column was definitely respectable by Mike Hunt's standards.