Pitching out of the box idea

[Pheasants]

This idea is based on several things: 1) We don't have a 5th starter than anyone trusts.  2) All starters, with the possible exception of Bundy, can't be trusted past the 5th inning.  3) We have a bunch of guys who posters keep saying 'I'd rather he pitch 2-3 innings than start'.  4) In addition, I thought I noticed last year that Buck was using a lot of relievers, including Givens and Brach for two innings at a time rather than one. He seems to have gone away from that in close games.  5) At one time rotations were 4 man.  Back then, the starters were expected to go long, but that would not be possible today.  It's also based on a belief that a reliever can pitch four innings in four days if he only warms up twice, or three innings in 4 days if he warms up every game.  So a compromise:  We start Bundy, Tillman, Gausman and Miley and plan to pull them after 5 innings.  By keeping the outings shorter they should be able to adjust to coming back a day earlier.  We then pick two pitchers, say Givens and Wright or Asher and have them pitch the 6-7th on an every other day schedule.The eighth is given to O'Day with Bleier or Hart substituting at times.  The ninth goes to Brach with again an occasional substitution.  That would be 8 pitchers counting to pitch regularly with the odd man out of the 6-7 joining Ubaldo as the needed longman and Bleier or Hart and everybody in the minors substituting as needed.  Once Britton is back, Brach could be the only 8-9 substitute needed or he could replace Wright or Asher in the 6th-7th slot.  

1-5 Bundy       Tillman        Gausman        Miley       Bundy   Tillman   Gausman   Miley

6-7 Givens      Wright         Givens            Wright     Givens   Wright    Givens        Wright

8    O'Day       O'Day         Hart                 Bleier       O'Day    Hart       Bleier         O'Day                    

9    Brach        Brach         O'Day              Brach       Brach    O'Day     Brach         Brach   

Of course that assumes we are winning every game, but if not Asher and Ubaldo get chances and Hart and Bleier get used more.  Hart would still be available most of the time as the loogy.  If Tillman only goes 2 innings, Ubaldo can piggyback with him.  With injuries, we have AAA.  So, do my assumptions make sense? Is this a workable pattern that a team with weak starters and a strong bullpen could try?  And think about adding Tanner Scott, our three-inning man from AA, and putting his 100 mph pitch in the 6-8th after Miley (I think he's our slowest starter).

I wouldn't even minded seeming a manager try a 8-9th inning save every time with O'Day for two innings one day and Brach for two the next.

[PaulFolk]

I don't understand how this plan would help the situation at all.

You'd have Givens pitching two innings every two days? That's a good recipe for blowing his arm out and/or completely sapping his effectiveness. Over a full season that'd be 162 innings of relief, which is a bit much to ask of him.

Additionally, I don't see why limiting starters to five innings would somehow make them able to pitch on three days' rest. Heck, a lot of these pitchers are barely able to go five innings on FULL rest (I'm looking at you, Miley). 

[wildcard]

Bundy's arm could fall off by the first of August.

[Frobby]

Well, I applaud the idea, though I'm not sure it would work.   

Speaking as an old-timer who grew up watching guys pitch on three days' rest (and occasionally two days' rest in the World Series), it doesn't necessarily strike me as absurd to have guys go every fourth day, but with lower pitch count/innings limits than they use for a five-man rotation.   But I don't know what's more stressful on the arm, throwing 100ish pitches every fifth day, or 80ish pitches every 4th day.   

The bullpen part seems trickier to me.

[Can_of_corn]

55 minutes ago, wildcard said:

Bundy's arm could fall off by the first of August.

In this day and age you see inning totals jump from 24 to 109 to 240 all the time.