I'm going out on a limb and saying that this season will be Gagne's last in the Majors.

Can someone please explain what has gone wrong for Gagne?? I'm not one of his big fans, but from the small details I know, he was an excellent closer in Texas, was traded to Boston and fell completely off the rails, was traded away and has continued down that same doomed path...??

Dave, could you shed any light on this for me please?

I don't have a good explanation. He struck out more per 9 in Boston than in Texas, but he also gave up many more hits per nine. Those two don't usually go together. My guess is that coming back from the injury, he was a different pitcher. It took a while for batters to adjust to that, but once they did he was hittable. Now he's become a gopher ball pitcher.

Obviously his time is up, there is no telling when an athlete can be offiicially declared washed up, but if his mechanics are not to blame and much the same ca be said about his work ethics, then he is out to pasture!!!

Thanks for the reply David, I guess it will just also be one of those things that remains a mystery - the Gagne Roswell...

He doesn't throw nearly as hard and his control on the change is erratic. The change only works off the fastball. He's OK when he gets ahead but when he doesn't he has to come in with the fastball and he gets hammered. Now without the deception he gets changes up and over the plate and they get cracked.