Bottom line we need a real closer.

[SteveA]

Exactly. Why not go to ODay there? You should also be able to see easily whether Britton's ball is sinking or not. Should be able to see it even warming up in the pen. Just like Johnson, if Zachs ball aint sinking, he is toast. If it is, unhittable, but, if not, you are going to lose.

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To "go to O'Day" there you have to have him up for at least a batter or two.

So basically you are saying that EVERY time you bring Britton in to protect a 2 run lead, you should also get O'Day up for those occasionalt imes when Britton's "ball isn't sinking".

Those extra warmups add up over the season, we already have a bullpen that is overused because our pitchers are about 11th in the AL in IP/start. You are suggesting that we have many, many additional times where we warm relievers and don't use them to add to that burden.

I think that is an insane suggestion.

[Bazooka Jones]

You're kidding right? The guy has been spectacular all year.He had a swinging bunt, a bloop, and then he gave up the cushier. It happens.Id take Britton anyway over 90% of the closers in the game.

Yep. Agree 100%.

[oriolesmagic9]

Bottom line...We need Mariano Rivera because he never blew a save.

[Can_of_corn]

Bottom line...We need Mariano Rivera because he never blew a save.

Fun fact: Rivera has yet to blow a save in the 2014 season.

[ledzepp8]

Fun fact: Rivera has yet to blow a save in the 2014 season.

Wow! I knew that guy was a surefire HOFer!!!

[MrOrange82]

To "go to O'Day" there you have to have him up for at least a batter or two.

So basically you are saying that EVERY time you bring Britton in to protect a 2 run lead, you should also get O'Day up for those occasionalt imes when Britton's "ball isn't sinking".

Those extra warmups add up over the season, we already have a bullpen that is overused because our pitchers are about 11th in the AL in IP/start. You are suggesting that we have many, many additional times where we warm relievers and don't use them to add to that burden.

I think that is an insane suggestion.

What's crazy is your taking the O'Day comment to imply that O'Day should be warming each and every time Britton enters a game with a two run lead, and nobody on base, in the 9th inning.

How long does it take the average ML reliever to warm up? Do you know precisely how long? Is that amount of time measured in AB-lengths? Minutes? Bitcoin? Are managers and/or pitching coaches not known for walking onto the playing field when a couple of runners get on base to allow a reliever last second warm up time?

I would have preferred to see O'Day stretching after the swinging bunt, but even if he hadn't gotten up right away, why are you so certain that the O's just...couldn't...have gone to someone else after Britton clearly got in trouble? If relievers all needed a 2-3 batter buffer/advanced warning to get up and get in a game, the bullpen would never be used. Really, advanced planning of the kind you're talking about is almost antithetical to what the bullpen is supposed to do.

EDIT: of course, if you're fan of advanced planning, O'Day could have started warming up earlier because everyone, their mothers, and the Lord Almighty knew that Donaldson (and his superior lefty-splits) was coming up third in the 9th.

[weams]

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jvnHFl2WuEE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Redemption? Reclamation? Resuscitation?

[SteveA]

What's crazy is your taking the O'Day comment to imply that O'Day should be warming each and every time Britton enters a game with a two run lead, and nobody on base, in the 9th inning.

How long does it take the average ML reliever to warm up? Do you know precisely how long? Is that amount of time measured in AB-lengths? Minutes? Bitcoin? Are managers and/or pitching coaches not known for walking onto the playing field when a couple of runners get on base to allow a reliever last second warm up time?

I would have preferred to see O'Day stretching after the swinging bunt, but even if he hadn't gotten up right away, why are you so certain that the O's just...couldn't...have gone to someone else after Britton clearly got in trouble? If relievers all needed a 2-3 batter buffer/advanced warning to get up and get in a game, the bullpen would never be used. Really, advanced planning of the kind you're talking about is almost antithetical to what the bullpen is supposed to do.

EDIT: of course, if you're fan of advanced planning, O'Day could have started warming up earlier because everyone, their mothers, and the Lord Almighty knew that Donaldson (and his superior lefty-splits) was coming up third in the 9th.

And then who would you have had up for the lefties that came after Donaldson in the order? GIven that O'Day's career OPS vs LH is 150 points higher than it is vs righties?

[Can_of_corn]

And then who would you have had up for the lefties that came after Donaldson in the order? GIven that O'Day's career OPS vs LH is 150 points higher than it is vs righties?

I wasn't kidding about stashing Britton in Right field for a batter. >1K OPS gets my attention.

[MrOrange82]

And then who would you have had up for the lefties that came after Donaldson in the order? GIven that O'Day's career OPS vs LH is 150 points higher than it is vs righties?

Was McFarland unavailable for some reason?

EDIT: and really, I didn't mention Matusz because I'm biased against Matusz, but his lefty splits are good. Two lefties in a row is precisely the kind of situation he should be used in.

[SteveA]

What's crazy is your taking the O'Day comment to imply that O'Day should be warming each and every time Britton enters a game with a two run lead, and nobody on base, in the 9th inning.

How long does it take the average ML reliever to warm up? Do you know precisely how long? Is that amount of time measured in AB-lengths? Minutes? Bitcoin? Are managers and/or pitching coaches not known for walking onto the playing field when a couple of runners get on base to allow a reliever last second warm up time?

I would have preferred to see O'Day stretching after the swinging bunt, but even if he hadn't gotten up right away, why are you so certain that the O's just...couldn't...have gone to someone else after Britton clearly got in trouble? If relievers all needed a 2-3 batter buffer/advanced warning to get up and get in a game, the bullpen would never be used. Really, advanced planning of the kind you're talking about is almost antithetical to what the bullpen is supposed to do.

EDIT: of course, if you're fan of advanced planning, O'Day could have started warming up earlier because everyone, their mothers, and the Lord Almighty knew that Donaldson (and his superior lefty-splits) was coming up third in the 9th.

So you would bring someone in to protect a 2 run lead, and then after a fluky swinging bunt hit, you would decide that you had to have someone else up?

Seems like overmanaging and panicking to me.

You have to put guys out there and hope they do their jobs. Britton couldn't last night.

I'm sure if Hunter had had a bad 8th and blown the lead there, MANY people would have been saying O'Day should have pitched the 8th. Maybe you would be one of them, maybe not.

But I'll bet a LOT of the same people who say O'Day should have come on in the 9th, would have been jumping on the "we should have used O'Day in the 8th" bandwagon IF Hunter had given up a couple bombs in the 8th. I can't prove it, but I'll bet it's true.

It's always so easy to second guess. There were two "bad matchups" for Britton in the first 5 batters due that inning... Cespedes and Donaldson. He should have been able to protect a 3 run lead. He just didn't. He made a bad pitch, and an All Star who had 20 HRs at the break took advantage of it.

I have always agreed with your general premise that maybe tehre shouldn't be a set closer, and you should use the best pitcher for the situation. But I also believe that if it was something that would work, then SOME manager at SOME time would have tried it and had some success. And they haven't. So I have come to feel that maybe there is somehting to the idea of having defined roles that works for the players.

[MrOrange82]

So you would bring someone in to protect a 2 run lead, and then after a fluky swinging bunt hit, you would decide that you had to have someone else up?

Seems like overmanaging and panicking to me.

You have to put guys out there and hope they do their jobs. Britton couldn't last night.

I'm sure if Hunter had had a bad 8th and blown the lead there, MANY people would have been saying O'Day should have pitched the 8th. Maybe you would be one of them, maybe not.

But I'll bet a LOT of the same people who say O'Day should have come on in the 9th, would have been jumping on the "we should have used O'Day in the 8th" bandwagon IF Hunter had given up a couple bombs in the 8th. I can't prove it, but I'll bet it's true.

It's always so easy to second guess. There were two "bad matchups" for Britton in the first 5 batters due that inning... Cespedes and Donaldson. He should have been able to protect a 3 run lead. He just didn't. He made a bad pitch, and an All Star who had 20 HRs at the break took advantage of it.

I have always agreed with your general premise that maybe tehre shouldn't be a set closer, and you should use the best pitcher for the situation. But I also believe that if it was something that would work, then SOME manager at SOME time would have tried it and had some success. And they haven't. So I have come to feel that maybe there is somehting to the idea of having defined roles that works for the players.

Here's the thing, though: if Hunter (i.e., a non-closer) had struggled in the 8th inning and blown a two run lead, but Buck had refused to pull him in favor of another reliever, would you have disagreed with the idea that someone else should have been brought in?

But because Britton is "the closer," he stays in the game regardless of how the inning seems to be unfolding, and regardless of who's coming up to face him?

[mark_beckens]

But because Britton is "the closer," he stays in the game regardless of how the inning seems to be unfolding, and regardless of who's coming up to face him?

He threw 6, SIX, pitches, giving up a swinging bunt, a bloop the other way and a 3 run homer. OMG, this is soooooo nauseating.

[MrOrange82]

He threw 6, SIX, pitches, giving up a swinging bunt, a bloop the other way and a 3 run homer. OMG, this is soooooo nauseating.

OMG. zOMG. OMG, you guys, srsly. Srsly, guys.

It only took him six pitches to put two baserunners on AND give up the game winning home run. It took him five pitches to find himself in a two-on, nobody out situation facing a guy who's OPSing approximately 1.090 against lefty pitchers.

And you think he should have just stayed in to face Donaldson no matter what? Did you get all that, or should I add some zzz's or extra o's to the ends of my words?

[mark_beckens]

OMG. zOMG. OMG, you guys, srsly. Srsly, guys.

It only took him six pitches to put two baserunners on AND give up the game winning home run. It took him five pitches to find himself in a two-on, nobody out situation facing a guy who's OPSing approximately 1.090 against lefty pitchers.

And you think he should have just stayed in to face Donaldson no matter what? Did you get all that, or should I add some zzz's or extra o's to the ends of my words?

Buck should have had all the relievers throwing at one time. You never know when you're going to need one. They should start throwing in the 1st inning. We should get rid of Lough, Young, Hundley, Flaherty and go with a 11 man bullpen. Just so you can match up all game long.