Scott Kazmir Holds Long Island Ducks Scoreless, Strikes out Five

For the third consecutive game, Scott Kazmir has pitched good enough to win. 

Monday night, Kazmir, who is coming off back-to-back victories, held the Long Island Ducks scoreless for five innings, surrendered only six hits, struck out five and walked one. 

With 12 games and 54 innings under his belt, it appears the flaws that bewildered Kazmir’s MLB career have finally begun to correct themselves. Admittedly, there have been some rough outings during Kazmir’s comeback, but over the last four starts, he has walked one batter per game and struck out 18 in 24-plus innings. 

All the positives are evident, and those that have snickered at the fact that a former MLB first-round pick is pitching for an Independent League team should realize that the talent has always been there. 

Players deal with many issues; injuries, confidence, or lack thereof, and sometimes limited effectiveness. And these players all deal with it differently. If Kazmir had to hit rock bottom, so be it, it may be the best thing to happen to his career. 

You never witness the true heart of a player until he faces adversity.

Look at Ricky Romero of the Toronto Blue Jays. He is dealing with some of the same issues Kazmir has faced, and you know there are many out there that have written him off completely. But as we all know, these players are very resilient and wouldn’t be where they are today without their hard work and commitment. 

Ricky Romero will figure it out sooner or later. It appears Kazmir finally has.

Devon is a manager at a financial institution in Northern Ontario, Canada, and can be reached at [e-mail]. You can follow The GM's Perspective on Twitter and Facebook. His full bio can be seen here.