As a Fantasy owner, I have to admit I was relieved to hear about Yu Darvish's sciatica. Not that I wish discomfort on anyone, but if a nerve irritation in his back was causing him pain in his lower half down the stretch, it completely explains why he was so wild -- and, thus, inefficient -- over his final three starts, issuing 12 walks in only 16 innings.
Improved control was a big reason why I was planning to rank Darvish as my No. 2 starting pitcher in 2014, projecting him to go in the second round. His strikeout ability is just too good to pass up even if he's prone to occasional bouts of wildness. But if those bouts are severe enough that you'd have to worry about him going less than six innings four times during a six-start stretch, as happened in September, I'd want to recommend someone like Max Scherzer or Adam Wainwright instead. Above all, a second-round pitcher has to be consistent, no matter how many strikeouts he's getting.
Turns out three of those four starts were injury-related. Take them away, and Darvish averaged 3.2 walks per game in 2013 -- a full walk better than his 2012 rate. That won't lead the league or anything, but for a pitcher with his stuff, it's good enough.