Todd Wellemeyer

Baseball managerial practices are organic. They change and shift according to knowledge into the laws of physics, culture, and economics.

In times of yore, a five-man rotation was thought to be useless, Cy Young started 49 games in a single year, and the concept of a closer would have been bizarre.

Getting back to the present, Stephen Strasburg's muscles flared a few weeks ago, and it seems he may be shut down for the year.

Todd Wellemeyer continued his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde routine in Pittsburgh on Saturday, giving up six runs, nine hits, and three walks in three innings of work. Actually, work might be the wrong way to phrase it...it was more a vacation.

The contrast of his home and road numbers is mind-boggling at this point.

Dr. Jekyll: 3-1, 2.94 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, .213 BAA

Mr. Hyde: 0-4, 10.62 ERA, 2.21 WHIP, .305 BAA

Mr. Hyde put on quite a show in Pittsburgh, ostentatiously strutting out his schizophrenic demeanor and homeless-man composure.

If you haven't heard them before, you should definitely start to hear them now.

Brian Sabean’s drafting and construction of pitching depth in the organization has set manager Bruce Bochy up to be a very lucky man.

His biggest decision at the culmination of spring training?

To decide on who gets the fifth spot in the rotation.

The two most likely contestants to win that spot have been narrowed down to free-agent acquisition Todd Wellemeyer and the homegrown pitching prospect, Kevin Pucetas.