Dontrelle Willis was optioned to Single-A Lakeland today. Remember when he won 22 games with a 2.63 ERA through 236.1 innings in 2005?
He’s been moving steadily away from such fine form over the subsequent seasons, but his 8 earned runs on three hits and 5 walks in 1 1/3 innings on Monday night were more than the what-in-tarnation-is-wrong Tigers could take.
His regression has been blamed on faulty mechanics, but with such abnormal mechanics to begin with, correcting them will undoubtedly prove tricky. I would not be surprised to see an attempt at completely overhauling his delivery as he tries to straighten things out.
Always liked the guy. Hope he gets it together.
