Talk:Bigger Bust - Mark Prior or Kerry Wood?/@comment-208.20.221.71-20060316121741

I&quot;m not a Baker fan myself, but I&quot;ll play devils advocate. Wood and Prior both have a tendency to run up high pitch counts. They are frequently near or over the 100 pitch plateau by the fifth inning. Pedro Martinez has found a way to transition from a pure strikeout pitcher to a guy who gets more balls in play and keeps his pitch count down. I think this is really extending his career as a 5-8 power pitcher. Why haven’t Prior and Wood made the same adaptations so they can pitch into the 7th inning on 100-110 pitches? If you&quot;re Baker what do you do? The Cubs bullpen has struggled mightily in recent years. Baker&quot;s job is to win games. Often leaving Wood or Prior in is your best chance to win. Would you rather Baker risk losing games in a pennant chase? He&quot;s in a lose lose situation.