Thanks Dave-

I'd much rather have a pitcher who would rather pump his best stuff down the pipe rather than walk a guy. Walks are a pitcher's biggest nemisis, you get out of the wind up, have to worry about a runner, you've essentially beaten yourself, it can throw off your groove.... it's good to hear that Merkin understands the importance of not giving free passes. Especially with his kind of stuff, challenging isn't a mistake. I'd completely forgotten about his insane start to the season, where he was striking out more than a batter per inning and walking 0 or 1 for like 7 innings... maybe he's ready after all? Schmidt proved last season that if you've got great location of an electric fastball, and a second quality pitch, that may be all you need to excel. Maybe Schmidt will help him a little bit (though merkin doesnt speak english, and I doubt Jason Schmidt speaks spanish).