Do I Have This Right? Many Wanted Ubaldo Starting This Game But Buck Is An Idiot For Using Him?

[MagicBird]

Maybe Im just misremembering but I thot a whole lotta posters here wanted Ubaldo starting this win or go home game yet now claim Buck is the biggest idiot in the world for using him in extra innings?

[esmd]

Pretty much. Obviously it was the wrong move bringing him in last night based on what happened, but I'm not going to crucify him for it. I would've pulled him after the first two batters got hits though. He was in a tough since the offense was ice cold and had given no indication that it was going to score anytime soon. Win some, lose some.

[Orioles4Life21]

Yea I don't really see a correlation here. The two situations are not related in any way whatsoever.

[lovetoaster]

I'm not as furious about the decision as some others are, but the situations are completely different. Many times Ubaldo is a little shaky to start off games. And a higher leverage relief appearance in extra innings is a lot different than starting the game with a clean slate in the first inning. The margin for error is just so much smaller.

[Bahama O's Fan]

Heres the HUGE difference. As a starter, where Ubaldo is in his comfort zone, EVEN if he is flat and gives up runs, you get him out of there and you have innings to come back.Last night, Ubaldo, who usually is a slow starter anyway, comes IN with the pressure of having to shut down the Jays with a groundball double play.Britton is your double play guy.Also, Buck couldve used Britton earlier instead of bringing in ODAY, who fortunately DID get the double play, but has been shaky in the last month as well as not 100%.Britton CLEARLY was the go to go to with the game on the line, and Buck TWICE opted not to use him...not just ONCE.

Completely agree Roy. Should have started Ubaldo. Should have never put Reimold in the game. Should have used Britton at SOME point in the game.

[DirtyBird]

I can't believe people thought Buck should have used Britton, but nobody wanted him to start the game.

[El Gordo]

Leaving behind the hysteria of having lost the WC game I don't think the decision was that black and white. You need a GB pitcher in that situation. Your best two GB pitchers are Britton and Ubaldo. So if you go with Britton to buy you another chance to bat, who closes if you score a couple of innings later. I would have brought in Britton, but I can see why Buck might have gone with Ubaldo. For me it's a 60/40 choice not a 100/0 choice as some seem to characterize it.

[Mayor McCheese]

Heres the HUGE difference. As a starter, where Ubaldo is in his comfort zone, EVEN if he is flat and gives up runs, you get him out of there and you have innings to come back.Last night, Ubaldo, who usually is a slow starter anyway, comes IN with the pressure of having to shut down the Jays with a groundball double play.Britton is your double play guy.Also, Buck couldve used Britton earlier instead of bringing in ODAY, who fortunately DID get the double play, but has been shaky in the last month as well as not 100%.Britton CLEARLY was the go to go to with the game on the line, and Buck TWICE opted not to use him...not just ONCE.

I agree. They could have easily gotten 2+ IP out of Britton. No need to turn to UJ yet especially since he is known to be slow starter until he finds his command and settle in. I don't care how well he has been pitching, Britton should have been out there.

[Ori-Al]

Ubaldo has a 7.56 ERA as a reliever, as opposed his well under 3.00 ERA as a starter during his latest run of starts. Having Ubaldo on the roster as a reliever, let alone using him, was not putting a player in a position that gives him his best chance to succeed, which is the manager's job.

[Aristotelian]

For what it's worth, we had three extra inning games on the road this year.

5/24 vs HOU: Buck did not use Britton, Bundy blows it in the 13th.

7/6 vs LAD: O's get the lead in the 14th, Britton gets the SV

7/31 vs TOR: Britton pitches 9th and 10th, O's score 4 in the 12th, Ondrusek closes it out

In 2015:

7/13 vs MIA: Britton doesn't pitch, TJ blows it in the 13th

8/9 vs LAA: Britton doesn't pitch, Roe and Matusz blow it in the 11th

Apparently Buck is not completely against using his closer in tie games on the road but pretty severely predisposed against it.

I did a quick look at Madden and Bochy, and it looks like they are inclined to use the closer in the 10th, although there are exceptions.

[eddie83]

He has 8 relief appearances in his entire career. He doesn't hold runners well and is as hit or miss as any pitcher I have ever seen.

That is not the place for him to pitch in a tie game in the 11th inning of an elimination game.