Cla Corrals Cactus Competition

Cla Meredith was nothing short of a phenom in 2006 while allowing 6 earned runs in 50 2/3 innings and posting 4-1 strikeout to walk ratio. He even managed to hold opponents scoreless for one out shy of 34 consecutive innings. Last spring, he responded by allowing 8 runs in 8 1/3 innings. Much was made of this precipitous decline, particularly that the dessert air affecting his sink, but all expected a rebound in the pitcher-friendly parks of the NL West. Then the season came and his ERA increased more than three-fold to a still respectable, but unspectacular 3.50, while his WHIP nearly doubled and his strikeout to walk ratio fell slightly to 3.47-1. The new year has Friar fans hearkening back to 2006 as Cla has rebounded to post a 1.80 ERA to go with a 9-1 strikeout to walk ratio and 0.80 WHIP. His 5 innings pitched is certainly a small sample size, but FF is encouraged by what could once again be a shutdown 7th, 8th, 9th combination in the '08 bullpen, with Meredith, Heath Bell and Trevor Hoffman, respectively. A rebounded Meredith will also take some pressure off of Bell, who logged more than 13 innings in excess of Cla on 2007, despite pitching in nearly the same number of contests. The 'pen will need to be sharp to help maintain the meager leads the offense is likely to generate.