Vince Velasquez struck out three of the first four batters he faced Saturday night. Then, he gave up four runs on five hits. Then, he missed a return throw from the catcher, leading to an inning-ending caught stealing. Then, he got lifted for a pinch hitter in the second inning.
Strangest start ever?
It was up there.
But, then, this is September, baseball’s prime time for weirdness. With playoff races raging and desperation growing, expanded rosters enable a manager to get crazy, especially when it means keeping his team’s faint postseason hopes from getting even dimmer.