The Milwaukee Brewers had a lead going into the sixth inning. They got about as decent a start as you can get from Jeff Suppon, who struggled through five innings and 100 pitches. He allowed ten base runners but only gave up two runs. With a lead and a game on the line, why would you bring in Jorge Julio?
Before Monday night's appearance, Julio had given up 27 base runners in 17.1 innings including 14 walks. In fact, covering the last three years, Julio has walked 44 batters in 56.2 innings. Would that be someone you would bring into a tight game? Uh...no. But the Brewers brought him in. Julio never got an out. Five runs later, ball game.
It was the seventh inning of the Yankee/Indians game. The score was tied 1-1. The previous inning, the Yankees had loaded the bases on three walks against starter, Sowers. Aquino came in and shut the door to get the Indians out of a jam. The Indians sent Aquino back out there in the seventh. That made sense seeing what he did in the sixth. Aquino gets the first out but then walks Matsui. Then he walks Gardner. Uh...hello? He stays in there and walks Jeter. Bases loaded. Hello? Swisher then breaks open the game with a double. Ball game. To make matters worse, the Indians then brought in Vizcaino. Vizcaino? Man. After an intentional walk, A-Rod hits a single to make it 5-1.
Conversely, the Yankees stayed with a hot Joba Chamberlain deep into the game when many managers would have pulled him after six or seven. That requires a lot of pitchers who are less able than Chamberlain to win the game. Chamberlain pitched eight strong innings and then turned the ball over to Rivera. Mo was throwing gas tonight and hit 97/96/95/95/96 and 97 on the radar gun. Game over.
The Mets were leading the Pirates 5-3 going into the eighth inning. Livan survived his outing again (must be good mirrors he is using) and the bullpen held the lead before giving the ball to Putz to start the eighth. Let's face it, this is why they got Putz right? Except they didn't do it. Putz didn't start the inning. Feliciano did. That doesn't make sense does it? LaRoche doubled. Hinske grounded out and LaRoche goes to third. THEN they bring Putz in the game. The other LaRoche singles in a run. Jaramillo singles. Young singles and the game is tied. Putz must not have it tonight. They let Putz intentionally walk a batter and then pull him from the game. An error and a sacrifice fly and it's ball game time.
While we're discussing this, does it seem fair for a manager to ask a struggling reliever to intentionally walk a guy knowing he's going to get pulled right after he does so? Why not have the next guy walk the batter so that runner is his responsibility and not the original guy. Seems cheap.
Let's flip over to Oakland's game with the White Sox. The game was tied 2-2 going into the eighth inning. Craig Breslow had taken over for Cahill and had pitched well for an inning and a third, striking out two. Breslow has done well since the A's picked him up on waivers. He had pitched five and a third innings, walking none and striking out five. Breslow is given the ball to go out and start the eighth and walked Podsednik and is promptly yanked in favor of Santiago Casilla. Casilla hasn't exactly set the world on fire to this point and had walked eleven in nineteen innings of work. Casilla got Ramirez to pop up but gave up a single to Dye. Thome then came up. It would have been nice for Breslow (a lefty) to be facing Thome at this point. But it was Casilla who promptly gave Thome a meatball. Ball game.
Four ball games, Four questionable series of pitching decisions. The Fan has been talking a lot about blown saves this season, but how much of the current plethora of the things should be blamed on managers who seem to over think situations and under think others?
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