During last night’s loss to the Cardinals, John Maine pitched just four innings, letting up seven hits and three walks, while giving up two runs in the first and one run in each of the next three innings.

Maine, talking to reporters after the game, said:

“When I was warming up, I didn’t feel that great.  I was feeling bad, like I was sick, my arm just didn’t have any life on the ball.  I had nothing and you could tell…Hopefully you just chalk it up to one of those days.  I just got to work a little harder between starts.  It was bad preparation between last start and this start and I’ve got to get back on a routine and get back to where what I was doing…I just had a dead arm tonight.  I had no life on my fastball.  I couldn’t get any swing and misses…I just didn’t feel it tonight.”

Jerry Manuel, on Maine, after the game, said:

“John Maine wasn’t quite right…John works hard, and you might be getting toward the end of the first half and he’s still a young guy who is developing.  I don’t think there’s been many nights where he didn’t feel the ball come out of his hands like he did tonight.  He didn’t really feel the ball come out of his hands…So, my only concern, if there is a concern, would be how he feels tomorrow when he plays catch to make sure t here’s nothing physically wrong.  But, that sort of thing happens to pitchers at times, they don’t have it and he didn’t have it tonight.”

…the dead-arm phase happens to nearly every pitcher in every season…the question is how long will it last…from what i understand, the key to rebounding is how he works out between starts…by the way, maine will likely have two more starts before getting a solid 10 days off during july…