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Brian,
Except for one year when he had huge firepower behind him, he is like many other Cubs pitchers. You can't lose 1-0 too often without wondering what is happening. Kerry had terrific stuff, but has been injured every year that he has been in the league. His 12-6 deuce was insane, but his arm can't unleash it anymore. We can thank a high school coach that let him throw 140-180 pitches a game and half of them were curves. Dusty allowed it to continue in the Bigs. Kerry has never been an economical pitcher.
Tony LaRussa said it best in 3 Nights in August:
"One of the three different Woods will take the mound tonight. There's Wild Wood, who has no idea where any of his pitches is going and walks too many batters to be effective. There is Controlled Wood, who consciously tries to keep the ball around the strike zone and not walk batters. Then there's Effectively Wild Wood, with enough pitches in and around the strike zone to make him consistent but a few every now and then where he's simply not sure where they're going to go."
It's a great book and has a tremendous amount of game insight. It takes you close to the game, in a way few umpires ever recognize. Check it out.
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