Really tired of Matusz...

[Can_of_corn]

He won't hurt us, and he might strike someone out in September. I promise you, he won't pitch unless we are winning by a lot, losing by a lot, or in extra innings.

Or if Ortiz is up.

[weams]

Or if Ortiz is up.

Or Hamilton.

[LookitsPuck]

Webb is infinitely better and more versatile than Matusz.

[Can_of_corn]

Webb is infinitely better and more versatile than Matusz.

Couldn't just say substantially could you?

[waroriole]

Couldn't just say substantially could you?

Neither one is true, so it doesn't really matter.

[Can_of_corn]

Neither one is true, so it doesn't really matter.

At least substantially is to some degree defensible. To say infinitely would mean that Webb is a better surfer and is more skilled at looking like he is suffering from heat stroke.

[OriolesFaithful]

Matusz now leads the Orioles in meltdowns with 10 and is near the top ten in the league for this stat. In fact, he accounts for a whopping 20% of the Orioles' meltdowns this year.

For those unfamiliar with the meltdown stat, it's essentially a way to track the equivalent of a blown save for a middle reliever. If a reliever accounts for 6% of the team's loss (or decreases the team's chance of winning by 6%) he gets a meltdown.

Essentially, Matusz - way more than any other reliever - has cost us the most games this year. I think he has a great role versus lefty hitters and he can be an asset for us as a LOOGY but he simply can't be used against righties - especially in late game situations! Hopefully Buck wises up and never has a repeat of yesterday.

[weams]

Neither one is true, so it doesn't really matter.

Substantially against right handed batters is what he meant to say.

[Satyr3206]

I'm amazed this thread has gone on this long about a reliever.

[weams]

I'm amazed this thread has gone on this long about a reliever.

Especially a reliever who lost a game where we had scored only a run in the eleventh inning.

[Frobby]

Frankly, I don't understand why you and weams seem content to argue that the O's should keep a bad player on the roster just because the odds of that player costing the O's over the next two weeks are slim. Better to just get rid of the bad player and shift or eliminate that risk, however slight, IMO. And I think it's painfully obvious at this point that Matusz is a pretty bad player.

He's not that bad a player. 4.10 ERA isn't great, but there are many worse relievers than that. Allowing only 22% of inherited runners to score is above average. I'm not going to say he's had a good year, but his detractors exaggerate his flaws and weaknesses and never acknowledge it when he does a good job. If Matusz is the worst guy in your bullpen, then you must have a pretty good bullpen.

By the way, I like Ryan Webb, and he will be back soon enough, but he wasn't exactly burning it up when he was sent down. In July he had an 11.37 ERA and a 2.53 WHIP. Not many innings (6.1), but that's because you don't give many innings to guys when they are pitching that poorly.

[Three Run Homer]

Especially a reliever who lost a game where we had scored only a run in the eleventh inning.

A lot of the O's success in 2012 and 2014 is due to the bullpen being close to unbeatable in extra innings. Matusz' failure sticks out like a sore thumb. Sure it would be nice to have a more consistent offense, but failing that it's sure nice to have a bullpen that can shut the opposition down until the offense finds a way to scratch out a run.