In Defense of Wei-Yin Chen

We’ve discussed Wei-Yin Chen at length on the podcast. Chen worked hard last night to make my arguments about not going deep enough into games moot. He was fantastic, going 8 shutout innings. That sounds impressive, but what I want to focus on is the defensive clinic he put on in the first inning. Might we be so bold to call it… deChense?

After giving up a walk (which became a double on a stolen base), Chris Davis made a slick play at first, to record the first out, 3-1. Chen made an athletic play to not only get there to receive Davis’ throw, but he finished the play by quickly stepping off the bag and turning to check the runner at third. It was one of those plays that goes unnoticed on the highlights, but demonstrated a pitcher fielding his position at a high level. The next play, of course, was the real story.

With a runner at third, Chen induced a weak grounder between the plate and the mound. With  James Jones speeding in from third, Chen leaped of the mound and flipped the ball with his glove into the waiting mitt of Caleb Joseph. MLB Advanced Media didn’t see fit to provide a highlight of this play, but you can check it out at the 0:08 mark here.

Chen’s defensive plays kept that inning from being a Tillman Special, and kept runs off the board. That momentum carried Chen into a gem, and the Orioles got off to a great start in the four game set with Seattle.

I’ve been critical of Chen this season. Despite his stack of wins, I don’t think he’s been giving the team enough innings. Last night he looked amazing. And I looked stupid.

The natural order of things have been restored.