'Bullpenning' the Wild Card Game
.
Dave Fleming, at BJOL, points out that in Game 162 the Atlanta Braves had their best pitching performance: 9.0 IP, 4 hits, 0 r, 0 er, 0 bb, 11 K.
And that this performance was chalked up by eight (8) different pitchers:
|
Pitching
|
IP
|
H
|
R
|
ER
|
BB
|
SO
|
|
Ben Sheets
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
|
Luis Avilan
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
|
Julio Teheran
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Randall Delgado
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
|
Cory Gearrin
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Eric O'Flaherty
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Jonny Venters
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
|
Craig Kimbrel
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
Assuming that a Wild Card team does not have a staff ace available, Fleming believes that it's better to use the bullpen in a game like this. He gives the following advantages:
A. The platoon advantage you get every time you choose a LH/RH reliever to bring in.
B. You're not letting a Joe Saunders "work through" control issues if he runs into them. You switch pitchers, maybe go an extra inning if a Shawn Kelley is throwing great.
C. You set your rotation perfectly for the first round of the playoffs (Saturday will be an off day).
D. Relief pitchers, if working 1-2 innings, are essentially more effective than starters.
E. In an NL game, you get a pinch-hitter for the P every time through the lineup - therefore you get a DH and the other team doesn't* (a reader added this).
...................
Mariners fans might vaguely recall a 6-pitcher game that jigsaw'ed together a no-hitter. Let's see -- we'd rather have Furbush, Wilhelmsen, Kinney and co. rather than which starting pitcher? Over Beavan and Millwood, without a doubt. Over Vargas? Hmm.... I'd do it.
Bill James was asked about this way back in the early 90's, after the Pirates and Jim Leyland did this, if I recall correctly. He was asked, "Is this a legit strategy, or is it kind of chickenfeathers?" He replied, it definitely works, but then everybody could do it, and then you'd have a zero-sum situation with more work for everybody....
I wonder if the Commissioner's Office dropped the Invisible Hammer and told the teams not to try it. It's quite possible, though I'd guess not. If Geoffy's reading, I'd be interested to know whether this is an Invisible Hammer issue.
.....................
Bonus round: Here's Bill on the Orioles and A's. Did we mention that it's $3 per month to buy this stuff?
.
The Orioles, of course, are the ones who have Joe Saunders going against the fearsome Texas Rangers. I wonder at what point they sub the schlub.
BABVA,
Dr D