Yeah there's always people around to defend him when he stinks in a big game. That game against Seattle, I think they needed him to pitch into the 7th inning, he wasn't bad but they needed more and he wasn't great in San Francisco either. Say what you want about the Boston and Tampa games, I'm not quite buying it though.
But he'll get his chance tomorrow. Game 1 at home, a full five days of rest. There will be no excuses. Put up or shut up.