Phil Coke is Available

[BohKnowsBmore]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">She dont lie....she dont lie....she dont lie..... <a href="https://t.co/MNiyiSRPl9">pic.twitter.com/MNiyiSRPl9</a></p>— Nick DeBabylon (@NickDeBabylon) <a href="

">May 12, 2016</a></blockquote>

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[ReclaimTheCrown]

Same can be said for last year. Usually he shines in garbage time.

He has been quite frustrating to watch.

It's interesting because last year it was clear that he was not being used in high leverage situations and often pitched in garbage time (we were either up big or down big). Nonetheless, that's a bit difficult to quantify unless you go back through each appearance (which I certainly have neither the time nor the interest in doing). That said, one stat that I think can be helpful is looking at Holds, and the stats are pretty shocking. In 59 appearances and 49 IP, Matusz had 2 holds. Two. That is just incredibly telling to me for how much trust Buck had in him. In the past, he would be in to get big outs against tough lefties in tight games. That seemed to happen pretty rarely last year.

By way of comparison, O'Day had 18 and Brach had 15. Obviously those guys are studs who had great years, but that's a pretty stark comparison. Even Givens and Roe had more.

Not sure if this is the best stat to help highlight this, and there may be issues that others could point out, but I did find it pretty insightful.

[Norfolk orioles]

Would it be too over the top to compare Matusz to a Canadian forest fire?

[slakattack]

We should have made a play for Tim-may before the Angels snapped him up.

[blangtang]

Coke, Cotts, or sam Freeman could be replacement lefties that bounce around...No faith in Matusz

FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that Neal Cotts has exercised the opt-out clause in his minor league contract with the Angels.

The Angels now have to decide whether to add him to the major league roster or let him go seek an opportunity with another organization. Cotts, 36, has compiled a 3.29 ERA with 13 strikeouts and three walks over 13 2/3 innings this season in Triple-A. May 17 - 2:47 PM

Source: Ken Rosenthal on Twitter

[Dr. Unk]

Would it be too over the top to compare Matusz to a Canadian forest fire?

I'll take Canadian forest fires, for $800, Alex.

[Rene88]

Let's forget the crappy lefthanded pitchers just for the sake of having one. At least we had Ubaldo and Matusz pitch on the same night and get it all done and over with. I'll take Chaz, I love to lick my fingers, Roe over Matusz right now.

Roe has struck out like 28 in 21 innings in Norfolk and struck out the side on 10 pitches tonight.

[malkusm]

He has been quite frustrating to watch.

It's interesting because last year it was clear that he was not being used in high leverage situations and often pitched in garbage time (we were either up big or down big). Nonetheless, that's a bit difficult to quantify unless you go back through each appearance (which I certainly have neither the time nor the interest in doing).

BBRef has an inning/score matrix:

Inning/Score Appearance MatrixInn	<-4	-4	-3	-2	-1	tie	1	2	3	4	>4	Total4-	1		2						1			45		2				1	1					46		1		1		1		1				47	1	2		1	3	2	1			1	1	128	1	1	1	2	6	4		2		2	3	229	3	1			1					1	1	710+					1	4						5Total	6	7	3	4	11	12	2	3	1	4	5	58

Yes, Matusz had very few holds last year because he was very rarely given the opportunity to pitch with a lead of less than 4 runs. In fact, he was rarely given the chance to pitch with a lead at all last season.

His highest leverage situations were in the 8th inning last year, when he was brought into a tie game or when the team was down a run. He made 10 such appearances in 2015. Here are his IPs in each of those 10 appearances:

4/17/15: 1.1 (walked 3 batters, was tagged with a run and a loss. Was allowed to stay in and finish the game after he allowed it to get out of hand)

4/24/15: 0.0 (walked the only batter he faced. That runner scored, was given another loss)

5/7/15: 1.0 (an effective, clean inning against NYY in a 1-run loss)

5/26/15: 0.0 (faced 2 batters, allowed a hit and a walk. Neither ended up scoring, but allowed 2 inherited runners to score)

7/2/15: 0.0 (faced 2 batters, allowed a hit and a walk. Neither ended up scoring)

7/21/15: 1.0 (an effective, clean inning against NYY in a 1-run loss)

7/27/15: 0.1 (struck out the only batter he faced)

8/21/15: 0.1 (struck out the only batter he faced, stranding the bases loaded)

8/22/15: 0.1 (struck out the only batter he faced)

9/11/15: 0.2 (1 strikeout, stranded a runner at 1st)

Other than two appearances against the Yankees, Matusz did not work a full clean inning in a high-leverage situation last year. He had these two appearances and four pretty terrible ones. By late July, Buck was using him strictly as a LOOGY against 1-2 batters at a time.

So, Buck hasn't trusted him with a lead for well over a year. He can't eat innings effectively. And this year, he appears incapable even of LOOGY work. This is not worth $3.9MM.

[Frobby]

Whatever past criticisms anyone has had of Matusz, his overall results were decent enough. This year he's really looked awful. I think he has 3-4 weeks to get his act together, and if he doesn't, he'll be cut.

[weams]

Whatever past criticisms anyone has had of Matusz, his overall results were decent enough. This year he's really looked awful. I think he has 3-4 weeks to get his act together, and if he doesn't, he'll be cut.

3 or 4 appearances, I would say...

[ReclaimTheCrown]

BBRef has an inning/score matrix:

Inning/Score Appearance MatrixInn	<-4	-4	-3	-2	-1	tie	1	2	3	4	>4	Total4-	1		2						1			45		2				1	1					46		1		1		1		1				47	1	2		1	3	2	1			1	1	128	1	1	1	2	6	4		2		2	3	229	3	1			1					1	1	710+					1	4						5Total	6	7	3	4	11	12	2	3	1	4	5	58

Yes, Matusz had very few holds last year because he was very rarely given the opportunity to pitch with a lead of less than 4 runs. In fact, he was rarely given the chance to pitch with a lead at all last season.

His highest leverage situations were in the 8th inning last year, when he was brought into a tie game or when the team was down a run. He made 10 such appearances in 2015. Here are his IPs in each of those 10 appearances:

4/17/15: 1.1 (walked 3 batters, was tagged with a run and a loss. Was allowed to stay in and finish the game after he allowed it to get out of hand)

4/24/15: 0.0 (walked the only batter he faced. That runner scored, was given another loss)

5/7/15: 1.0 (an effective, clean inning against NYY in a 1-run loss)

5/26/15: 0.0 (faced 2 batters, allowed a hit and a walk. Neither ended up scoring, but allowed 2 inherited runners to score)

7/2/15: 0.0 (faced 2 batters, allowed a hit and a walk. Neither ended up scoring)

7/21/15: 1.0 (an effective, clean inning against NYY in a 1-run loss)

7/27/15: 0.1 (struck out the only batter he faced)

8/21/15: 0.1 (struck out the only batter he faced, stranding the bases loaded)

8/22/15: 0.1 (struck out the only batter he faced)

9/11/15: 0.2 (1 strikeout, stranded a runner at 1st)

Other than two appearances against the Yankees, Matusz did not work a full clean inning in a high-leverage situation last year. He had these two appearances and four pretty terrible ones. By late July, Buck was using him strictly as a LOOGY against 1-2 batters at a time.

So, Buck hasn't trusted him with a lead for well over a year. He can't eat innings effectively. And this year, he appears incapable even of LOOGY work. This is not worth $3.9MM.

Awesome, that's helpful, and confirms what I think most of us remember about him last year. Thanks for pulling that, have some reputation.

[clapdiddy]

3 or 4 appearances, I would say...

So, both you and Frobby are right?

[Roll Tide]

I don't know of any cases were a good player that was DFA'd fell to a 1st place team. Perhaps I'm wrong but, if Coke is any good he will be long scooped up before we could claim him.

In addition we have such roster inflexibility that adding a guy that can't be sent down wouldn't be good.

[Rene88]

BBRef has an inning/score matrix:

Inning/Score Appearance MatrixInn	<-4	-4	-3	-2	-1	tie	1	2	3	4	>4	Total4-	1		2						1			45		2				1	1					46		1		1		1		1				47	1	2		1	3	2	1			1	1	128	1	1	1	2	6	4		2		2	3	229	3	1			1					1	1	710+					1	4						5Total	6	7	3	4	11	12	2	3	1	4	5	58

Yes, Matusz had very few holds last year because he was very rarely given the opportunity to pitch with a lead of less than 4 runs. In fact, he was rarely given the chance to pitch with a lead at all last season.

His highest leverage situations were in the 8th inning last year, when he was brought into a tie game or when the team was down a run. He made 10 such appearances in 2015. Here are his IPs in each of those 10 appearances:

4/17/15: 1.1 (walked 3 batters, was tagged with a run and a loss. Was allowed to stay in and finish the game after he allowed it to get out of hand)

4/24/15: 0.0 (walked the only batter he faced. That runner scored, was given another loss)

5/7/15: 1.0 (an effective, clean inning against NYY in a 1-run loss)

5/26/15: 0.0 (faced 2 batters, allowed a hit and a walk. Neither ended up scoring, but allowed 2 inherited runners to score)

7/2/15: 0.0 (faced 2 batters, allowed a hit and a walk. Neither ended up scoring)

7/21/15: 1.0 (an effective, clean inning against NYY in a 1-run loss)

7/27/15: 0.1 (struck out the only batter he faced)

8/21/15: 0.1 (struck out the only batter he faced, stranding the bases loaded)

8/22/15: 0.1 (struck out the only batter he faced)

9/11/15: 0.2 (1 strikeout, stranded a runner at 1st)

Other than two appearances against the Yankees, Matusz did not work a full clean inning in a high-leverage situation last year. He had these two appearances and four pretty terrible ones. By late July, Buck was using him strictly as a LOOGY against 1-2 batters at a time.

So, Buck hasn't trusted him with a lead for well over a year. He can't eat innings effectively. And this year, he appears incapable even of LOOGY work. This is not worth $3.9MM.

Mad props for posting this! AMEN!

[Three Run Homer]

I think the only reason that they tendered a contract to Matusz is that he gets David Ortiz out. It looks like the Red Sox will be the O's main rivals this season, and they still have 16 games remaining.

There's a chance that Matusz will earn a DFA despite his success against Ortiz, but I don't think the team will go for long without a lefty specialist. TJ doesn't really qualify; he doesn't have the stuff or performance history of being particularly tough on lefties.