Not Shocked by Bastardo

Philliedelphia photo by Kevin Durso

Antonio Bastardo's suspension today was both shocking and not. It was shocking because I hadn't heard his name connected to Biogenesis prior to today. It wasn't shocking because this season has been a disaster, of course this would happen, and Bastardo's performance over the last several seasons suggests some changing dynamics.

Bastardo saw a dip in velocity after 2011, causing a lot of speculation. I'm going to go out and guess now that we can attribute it to PEDs. He has reverted a lot since then into the pitcher who doesn't throw enough strikes. To be fair to him, his 2013 was actually pretty good, but that could mean he was back on.

Bastardo was joined by former Phillie Sergio Escalona on that list, and the Phillies also have had Carlos Ruiz and Freddy Galvis hit with suspensions. I'm not going to call this an epidemic in South Philly, but a problem perhaps?

This is not shocking, but it's just another embarrassing piece of the 2013 puzzle.