Mark Melancon returned to the mound this afternoon and pitched like a $20 million pitcher. Baseball takes far more than it gives, no matter how tough or prepared a player might be, and yet we witnessed a guy who had been in and out of competition and off and on in terms of health and reliability come in and pitched practically to the peak of his abilities with no trouble at all.
Just like the Giants did with Will Smith, they’re going to bring him back slowly, in low leverage situations, so if you’re grousing about how he looks because he “only” pitched in the seventh inning of a 5-1 game, consider adjusting your attitude.