Bottom line we need a real closer.

[Reboulet'sStache]

Wait, I'm confused. Not trying to be difficult but haven't you been preaching for 3 pages that the O's need to get a SO guy to be our reliever? Now your suggestion seems to be to go out and get a lefty MR or are you suggesting a left handed flamethrower for closer?

I said the ideal situation is to have guys that come in in the 9th and miss bats, because there is clearly a greater correlation between SO% and saves. We don't have that, so you just have to live with the fact that fluky games, which in my opinion aren't really fluky with this kind of pitcher, are going to happen. But none of that was suggesting the Orioles do anything, just more a discussion about baseball and the 9th inning in general. I said britton is the best closer option on the roster, so if we are going to have a closer, he is it.

The only actual suggestions I said the Orioles should do is ditch the closer and keep playing match ups through the 9th, and get another lefty. Obviously I would prefer a lefty that strikes the lefties out. But no, I don't want them to get a lefty flame thrower and make him closer, because I don't want a "closer."

[Reboulet'sStache]

I don't understand the question.

Nobody has defined roles and when they are going to come in prior to the 9th. The bullpen is largely a reactive thing from say the 6th through the 8th. You come in to face one batter, and then are pulled so the lefty can face the next two lefties. The next day you come in and pitch the entire inning. Etc. It's all match up determined. That's true for everybody except one pitcher: the closer. And that's true for every inning except one: the 9th.

[FlipTheBird]

I said the ideal situation is to have guys that come in in the 9th and miss bats' date=' because there is clearly a greater correlation between SO% and saves. We don't have that, so you just have to live with the fact that fluky games, which in my opinion aren't really fluky with this kind of pitcher, are going to happen. But none of that was suggesting the Orioles do anything, just more a discussion about baseball and the 9th inning in general. I said britton is the best closer option on the roster, so if we are going to have a closer, he is it.

The only actual suggestions I said the Orioles should do is ditch the closer and keep playing match ups through the 9th, and get another lefty. Obviously I would prefer a lefty that strikes the lefties out. But no, I don't want them to get a lefty flame thrower and make him closer, [b']because I don't want a "closer."[/b]

This is the bit everyone on this board has to get over.

We're going to have a closer. Teams have closers. No matter how many times someone throws the "matchup" argument out there, we're going to have a closer. Everybody has a closer. It's just baseball today, and that fact isn't going to change overnight. So we need to let that go, and try to figure out who's best suited for the job on this team. Right now, that's Zach Britton.

[Pickles]

Nobody has defined roles and when they are going to come in prior to the 9th. The bullpen is largely a reactive thing from say the 6th through the 8th. You come in to face one batter' date=' and then are pulled so the lefty can face the next two lefties. The next day you come in and pitch the entire inning. Etc. It's all match up determined. That's true for everybody except one pitcher: the closer. And that's true for every inning except one: the 9th.[/quote']

I think the bolded is wildly untrue.

[Reboulet'sStache]

This is the bit everyone on this board has to get over.

We're going to have a closer. Teams have closers. No matter how many times someone throws the "matchup" argument out there, we're going to have a closer. Everybody has a closer. It's just baseball today, and that fact isn't going to change overnight. So we need to let that go, and try to figure out who's best suited for the job on this team. Right now, that's Zach Britton.

I think everyone is over it. Everyone knows that it's not changing anytime soon, and when it does, it sure isn't going to start with Buck. It's not like people are posting because they honestly can't believe Buck didn't bring in DOD to face Donaldson.

[Reboulet'sStache]

I think the bolded is wildly untrue.

Well I shouldn't say nobody has defined roles. Obviously bullpens have left specialists. And if everything went according to plan, probably a set up man. But the set up guy often pitches earlier because the match up and point in the game dictates it.

[Norfolk orioles]

Huston street is out of the picture now too.

Maybe we can trade for Benoit instead?

[Pickles]

Well I shouldn't say nobody has defined roles. Obviously bullpens have left specialists. And if everything went according to plan' date=' probably a set up man. But the set up guy often pitches earlier because the match up and point in the game dictates it.[/quote']

It goes beyond specialists.

I mean McFarland isn't a specialist, but I bet he knows if the SP is getting lit up in the top of the second, he should start thinking about getting ready.

Darren O'Day knows he's the "8th inning" guy.

Matusz knows he'll be asked to get lefties out in the mid-innings, often entering w men on base.

It often isn't "optimal." But players seem to prefer this. And a happy player is often a productive one.

[El Gordo]

What a moronic over reactionary thread. I imagined there would be one like this and I'm not disappointed. Who has a CL Who comes in and K's 3 guys every time? Nobody.

[Pickles]

What a moronic over reactionary thread. I imagined there would be one like this and I'm not disappointed. Who has a CL Who comes in and K's 3 guys every time? Nobody.

What's also hilarious about this, is it's people Bing and Ming about the vulnerability of sinkerballers, when we lost on homerun.

There's so much irony in this thread.

[mark_beckens]

I said the ideal situation is to have guys that come in in the 9th and miss bats' date=' because there is clearly a greater correlation between SO% and saves. We don't have that, so you just have to live with the fact that fluky games, which in my opinion aren't really fluky with this kind of pitcher, are going to happen. But none of that was suggesting the Orioles do anything, just more a discussion about baseball and the 9th inning in general. I said britton is the best closer option on the roster, so if we are going to have a closer, he is it.

The only actual suggestions I said the Orioles should do is ditch the closer and keep playing match ups through the 9th, and get another lefty. Obviously I would prefer a lefty that strikes the lefties out. But no, I don't want them to get a lefty flame thrower and make him closer, because I don't want a "closer."[/quote']

So Mariano Rivera was a closer who stuck out alot of batters and missed alot of bats? Some of you are beyond amazing with the #$@! you make up.

[MrOrange82]

Fine. OK. Many of y'all like having a "closer," or at least you're adamant that "closers" aren't going anywhere anytime soon. So have your closer. Hell, give your closer a special patch to wear on his hat.

But the real sticking point is, and should be, that having a "closer" shouldn't mean that you abandon common sense at the end of a close game with a potential playoff rival, especially when several of your division rivals have already won.

Britton allowed two baserunners in the 9th, which put the winning run at the plate. Closer or no closer, given that he was facing a guy (an All-Star, btw) who's OPSing almost 400 points higher against lefties than he is righties, why leave Britton in the game? Because of his title?

Let Zach close the game when it looks like he might actually be able to do that. Pull him when it looks like he's teetering on the edge of a big inning, regardless of whether you're offended by the kinds of hits he gave up. You've already acknowledged that GB/sinker pitchers like Britton will be vulnerable to the occasional swinging bunt and/or quail, so why let more "bad luck" pile on top of those things?

Buck's insistence on sitting on his "closer" to the bitter end of a "save situation," Hell or high water, is asinine. Leaving Britton in the game no matter what, just because he's the "closer" is asinine. The end of tonight's game was asinine. It's 3:30 in the morning and I'm still furious.

[Norfolk orioles]

I oscillate wildly on this subject even with myself, sometimes I think we should play matchups, sometimes I think you have to let a guy like Britton go out and do his job.

You can't matchup game after game after game because eventually you are going to burn through relievers like crazy the first couple times the strategy backfires. But by the same token, the point about Donaldson ops'ing .400 points hire against lefties is a very valid one, I could see the case for having o'day up in the pen if the exact scenario that happened (both guys getting on base before his at bat) happened.

In the end though, I'm willing to change my mind and that makes me great.

[TakebackOPACY]

This thread is predictable, knee-jerk garbage. Unless you can somehow get Mariano Rivera from 1998, this is what you have to take. Closers, all closers, all of them blow saves sometimes. I'm glad the players don't sit around and whine when a guy has a bad game. They get to work and you'll see this team come right back tomorrow.

Agreed. But Mariano blew 4 saves in '98.

18 save opportunity and Britton has blown 3 that's a red flag. SO closer are just better.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/closers

15 of 18 is pretty good.

That's true. Britton isn't as good as the best in the game. It's cause he "pitches to contact."

7+ k'S per 9 innings pitched is plenty.

Only the anti-SO or pro-GB or pro-Britton crowd (whichever form it is taken) scoured the internet to find a name in an attempt to disprove what nobody in this thread was trying to prove.

I said the ideal situation is to have guys that come in in the 9th and miss bats' date=' because [b']there is clearly a greater correlation between SO% and saves[/b]. We don't have that, so you just have to live with the fact that fluky games, which in my opinion aren't really fluky with this kind of pitcher, are going to happen. But none of that was suggesting the Orioles do anything, just more a discussion about baseball and the 9th inning in general. I said britton is the best closer option on the roster, so if we are going to have a closer, he is it.

The only actual suggestions I said the Orioles should do is ditch the closer and keep playing match ups through the 9th, and get another lefty. Obviously I would prefer a lefty that strikes the lefties out. But no, I don't want them to get a lefty flame thrower and make him closer, because I don't want a "closer."

Where do you see evidence of such a correlation, and why isn't Radhames Liz or Steve Johnson our closer!?

[TakebackOPACY]

SAT question:

Starters are to Wins as Closers are to ________ .

A. Goals

B. Touchdowns

C. Saves

D. Lebanon balogna