I Ain't a Doctor or Nuthin'

...But I knows a good ide'r when I knows one.

The way I see it, the Chicago White Sox have a certain secret weapon known as Brandon McCarthy who's kinda going to waste right now. They also have a certain fifth starter named Javier Vasquez who sports 5th, 6th, and 7th inning ERAs over 8.00, 11.00, and 14.00 respectively. I smell something obvious being passed over.

I'll admit--I'm typically a "don't change horses midstream" kind of fella, but come on; McCarthy has been way better than Vasquez most of this year, and we're at the point in the season when they should maximize the innings of their best pitchers in any way possible.

The one big caveat with converting a reliever to a starter this late in the season is the ability to build up the necessary arm strength. But if I'm not mistaken, McCarthy just pitched 5.1 innings of relief on Saturday. Granted, he kept his pitch count low (under 70, I believe), but still, you know how these young kids are, a-carousin' and carryin' on 'til all hours of the night, doin' two chicks at once like they do. He'll find the energy; he's young.

Yeah, I know Jose Contreras has been pitching like Jim Bullinger lately, so it's not just Vasquez fouling up the starting rotation. But again--maximize your best pitchers' innings.

If anyone should have the guts to make this change, shouldn't it be the reputed Ballsiest Manager in Baseball from the city famous for it's big balls?