When you have the best pitcher in baseball rested in a do or die game, they should pitch at least 2 innings. There just isn't a logical argument otherwise.
I can understand the theory in the regular season bc if the closer pitched in every tie game, he may throw 90 innings, but the playoffs are a different animal. You give your team as many chances as possible to score and using Britton for 2 innings is a must.
"Yes, I did think Aldrich was good UNTIL I SAW HIM PLAY. "- thethe
JohnAdcox (10-05-2016)
Originally Posted by gilesfan
what inning do you bring him in though. 9th, 10th.. or do you determine that when the lineup flips again.
Only watched a few of the game's early innings, but was surprised Showalter didn't have Britton in there at some point. Man, I'm just not a fan of the Blue Jays and was hoping the O's would win. One of the highlights of the season to me was Odor decking Bautista.
Really don't care who wins it all outside of the Red Sox. I don't routinely wish misfortune on a team or fan base, but I hope they lose and the game in which they are eliminated has some odd circumstances that will torture the Red Sox fan base until next March.
Well, the easy answer is obviously before bringing in gas can Jimenez.
However, the Oros have a couple decent relievers so I can see using those guys first (Givens, Brach, Hunter-is he healthy?)
But to answer your question, I would have brought Britton in for the bottom of 9th when they had the top/middle of lineup coming in. I certainly would have brought him in over Jimenez later on. And its a no brainer to bring him in when you have first and 3rd with one out vs. the cleanup hitter.
"Yes, I did think Aldrich was good UNTIL I SAW HIM PLAY. "- thethe
Personally, I think once it hits the 9th or 10th, you bring him in once you're in a high leverage situation...which is exactly where they found themselves in the 11th.
yes, 1 and 3 with 1 out is definitely the time. But it sounds like many would have brought him in the 9th.. So he still wouldn't be available by the 11th.
But Jiminez probably isn't called upon in that spot if Britton is used beforehand. Hell, I even let Britton go 2 innings.
You bring him in when there's a runner on first and third with one out and one of the best damn power hitters on deck. Oh, and you have the best current reliever in the game - that's when.
Nope, but then whomever he used in the inning Britton pitched could have pitched the 11th instead of Ubaldo. Fact of the matter is the best pitcher on the team didn't pitch in an 11 inning game. He didn't pitch because Buck insisted on relying on a stupid old school "fact" that your closer can only pitch the last innings when you have a lead. That is inexcusable.
Dave Cameron just said it best:
"That said, if I'm Dan Duquette, I'm sitting down with Showalter and walking through the thought process of this decision, and trying to help him see why he should do it differently next time. If, after some reasonable conversations, he maintains he wouldn't do anything differently, then I might make a change.
You don't want to overrate in-game strategy as a part of the job, but intellectual curiosity has to be part of the process, and if Showalter refuses to believe that his decision was a mistake, then he might not be the right guy going forward."
Others have pointed out that using him earlier allows your other pitchers better than Jimenez to be available in the 11th/12th even if you don't score.
But the actual outcome doesn't matter in determining the best strategy. Even if they would have still lost after using Britton, it would be the right decision. It's not a bad decision because they lost, although that certainly makes it more glaring and newsworthy. It's a bad decision because it's a bad decision.
I would have kept him out until you entered dangerous territory, but using him in the 9th is clearly better than never using him. And you could certainly argue that in a game like that, every batter is dangerous territory regardless of situation because every AB could have put the Blue Jays up.
Its a hell of a lot easier to stomach a loss knowing you gave it your best shot (cough Kimbrell/Britton) than it is losing with Ubaldo effing Jimenez on the hill.
"Yes, I did think Aldrich was good UNTIL I SAW HIM PLAY. "- thethe
bravesnumberone (10-05-2016)
It still dumbfounds me that teams don't sit down with the analytics people and the coaches and go over the 10-15 most likely scenarios to happen in a game and plan for each one.
Britton can go 1+ inning in a playoff game after having a day off on Monday with another day off scheduled for Wednesday. If the strategy they came up with was anything other than "Britton faces Donaldson, Encarnacion and Bautista in the 8th or later", everyone involved with that decision has no business being in a position of authority for a MLB club.
good grief.. I didn't mean to imply that I agreed with Bucky.. Just once you use Britton, you don't know how it plays out from there. Some people use matchups to determine who will face who while others would have gone with best pitcher available to start 9th and push that guy to his limit then get next best up. Always having a specialist up and ready just in case.
But what would the back lash have been if in the 13h or 14th and Os up 1, Ubaldo was closing and gave up the 3 run bomb..
at least your best pitcher wouldn't have been left on the bench all game. if britton gets you out of that situation in the 11th and you get put back in it 3 innings later, so be it - at least you extended the game.
I agree.. just playing devils advocate.. I do think there would be some who would be upset that he used his closer in a non save situation and thus didn't have him available when he really needed him. but if you can't get to that scenario, then what good is it anyway.
Better to use Britton in the high leverage scenario staring you in the face than saving him for the scenario that may never happen.
The 11th you knew you had Donaldson, EE, and maybe Bautista coming up so you have to let him start that inning. 3 of the best power hitters back to back to back and you don't use the best closer in the game? Inexcusable
Um.. JJ wants to have a word with you behind the gym..
Very little if there were no other options.
"Yes, I did think Aldrich was good UNTIL I SAW HIM PLAY. "- thethe
That was a TERRIBLE call. He was clearly safe
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