I hate to be conspiracy theorist - and I have no statistical documentation to back it up -- but I think that Kazmir's pitch count issues can be tied to the June 11th game against the Angels. Remember, it was a day game and Kazmir was dominant but Umpire Derryl Cousins would not call any third strikes, all the K's were swinging.

Kazmir was very vocal in the press about his issues with Mr. Cousins and I believe that event alone turned the Umpire Community against Kazmir. Before that start, 100 or so Kazmir pitches would get you 7 innings. Now 100 Kazmir pitches will get you about 5 innings on average.

I am pretty new to the Draysbay community, so you guys may have discussed this already.