The Perfect Game Hangover

No doubt the biggest story in sports will be how Dallas Braden pitches tonight, barring a press conference from Brett Favre on his future in the game, or a press conference from Tiger Woods on his future. No matter how well he pitches, he can't match the hype. Going six or seven and allowing a couple runs on a few hits will be considered a middling start.

It all begins with walks. This year, he's walked 7 batters in 46 innings. For a comparison, Ziegler's walked 9 in 17. Because his strikeout numbers are not all that impressive, continuing to not walk batters is his most impressive weapon. A perfect game is nice; not walking a batter in three consecutive starts would be a much more impressive feat. You look at a guy like Gio Gonzalez, who has walked 19 in 39 2/3 IP, and he's obviously buoyed by the fact that he's struck out 37 batters. Braden must continue to throw strikes if he's going to succeed.

Hopefully, someone will remind Braden that not allowing a hit was a team effort; not allowing a walk was all him, and he didn't allow a walk in his previous start either, in which he pitched seven strong innings. He probably won't throw a no-hitter the rest of his career, but that doesn't matter; a guy who doesn't strike out many batters shouldn't expect to throw no-hitters. Not walking many batters, though, is going to mean long-term success.