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Written by: Kevin H.
It’s been up and down for Randy Wolf in the past 3
seasons, but he is looking for a fresh start to begin the 2005 regular
season. Healthy once again, Wolf will look to regain his 2002- 2003 form
when he went 11-9 with a 3.20 ERA and 16-10 with a 4.23 ERA respectively.
But Wolf came off a disappointing 2004 campaign in which he went 5-8 with
a 4.28 ERA, some of that came while pitching with a sore elbow, which was
discovered later to be elbow tendonitis. That injury sidelined him for a
month. Although he is healthy now, his left elbow still remains somewhat
of a concern. But with the addition of Jon Lieber, the two will become a
formidable 1-2 punch.
Some may recall Wolf’s slow
start to 2002 season and his temporary demotion to the bullpen. After
being reinserted as a starter, he tore through the National League in the
 2nd
half of the season, a stretch excited the fans of Philadelphia. He went
4-7 with a 4.34 ERA in the first 3 months of the season, but then July
came and Wolf was a new man. He finally discovered the pop in his
fastball and effectively mixed it up with his off-speed pitches, most
notably his curveball. In July, Wolf improved with a 2-1 record and a
2.88 ERA, lowering his overall ERA to 3.95. His August was even better as
he blew away his opponents and won all 4 of his decisions and posted a
meager 1.37 ERA to go along with his 2 complete games. He finished the
season strong, and it was then that the Phillies began to see his true
potential to be one of the best left-handed pitchers in the league.
Wolf kept it up in the 2003
season, picking up where he left off. He started the year going 10-4 with
a 3.31 ERA before the All-Star break. June was his highlight month as he
matched his stats from August in the previous season, posting a 4-0 record
with a 2.76 ERA. It was enough to make his first All-Star team. But
after the All-Star experience, Wolf slowly started to become mediocre
again. He finished the second going 6-6 with a 5.60 ERA, and it was then
that his slump would contribute to the demise of last year’s campaign.
 The
2004 season was one that Wolf would like to forget. Maybe it was the
pressure applied by Larry Bowa, or the pitching style implemented by
Pitching Coach Joe Kerrigan. But one thing was evident; this was not the
same Randy Wolf that blew hitters away in the past seasons. Small,
nagging injuries hindered his pitches, but the big one was the left elbow
tendonitis that was discovered in August, forcing the Phillies to shut him
down for the remainder of the season. He started the season off with a
decent 3-5 record and a 3.56 ERA. The 3-5 record did have something to do
with an inconsistent Phillies offense. Wolf finished the year on a sour
note, going 2-3 with a 5.51 ERA.
His outlook
for the 2005 season is one of cautious optimism. The Phillies trainers
will still keep an eye out for his left elbow, but his performance on the
mound will rest solely on his mechanics and how he works his pitches.
Wolf’s repertoire features a low 90s fastball and a high 80s cutter, which
is a fastball that moves inside on right handed hitters, forcing then to
get jammed. Wolf’s off-speed pitches feature a slow, looping curveball,
which can dip to 70 mph. His above-average changeup and his slider are
the other options he can turn to on the mound. Wolf relies on his command
to keep the walks down and the hitters confused. If that fails, he
suddenly becomes very hittable. Wolf will most likely start the season in
the same position as last season, the Number 2 spot in the rotation.
There he will provide a right-left-right combination in the rotation that
will force the opposing teams to possibly switch their lineup around. All
Wolf needs is a strong start in order to build his confidence and should
he sustain that, it could be the first year in which Wolf finally puts it
all together in the same season.
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