Although, we didn't see much of Chapman since the game never made it to the bottom of the 9th.
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I've never been a Dusty fan, but even I'm surprised at how awful he's been this season. Between consistently using our worst relievers in pressure situations, only using guys in defined roles, and taking the bat out of Votto's hand with the sac bunt, it's been a horrible 12 games for Dusty Baker.
Many people wanted Hoover to take Broxton's place this off season. I think most of us are high on him and the Reds brass are as well. He has been pitching poor so far this season but like any pitcher you need to keep running him out there so he can break out of his funk. I don't have much of an issue with Dusty's handling of the pen.
The way I look at it, its been a horrible 5 games for the Reds. Votto is doing a good job of taking the bat out of his hands. Guy hasn't hit for power early this season and has a grand total of 3 RBI. Pitchers are doing their best to pitch around them and take their chances with Phillips and then Bruce. Baker could do the best job of managing in his career and the Reds still would be where they are. If your not doing a good job of situation hitting your bullpen is pouring gas on the fire you aren't going to win. There is absolutely no way that you should give up a 5-0 lead after 6 innings to the Pirates.
And his replacement was fired because he was "living in sin," despite the fact that the team was actually winning under his tutelage.
Old thinking severally dooms this team sometimes.
I don't want the Reds to crater but I really wish that the GM had more bite and would replace the manager. Losing another playoff series seems to be the only way that can happen, but that's going to cost this team another year. By 2014, the window of opportunity may start sliding shut.
How many closers and setup men pitch more than one inning? Some, I'm sure, once in awhile. I'm curious as to whether Dusty is such an outlier on this.
I like the idea of the "7th-inning closer" but it would be revolutionary.
Multi inning relievers tend to be setup men these days, Belise type guys
Not too many closers tossing multi innings these days, hence why there are 12 guys not 9 in the BP
Is it right?
Probably not wholly and it's probably not all wrong considering the cost if players and the perilous nature of a pitchers job
Why is it that our bullpen, according to Dusty, is always either "overworked" or we have guys "needing work"? Why does it seem there's never a middle ground? And no, I'm certainly not referring to this year only.
That's possible, but we were hearing the bullpen was overworked after the first series of the season, then seemingly one series later some guys needed work. I guess I'm just too old school to relate to the over-thinking that goes on with coaching bullpens in this age.
Same thing happens with other teams, the tunnel vision one has on their own team amplifies the noise
Last year we started out 4-8 and won 97 games.
This year we are 5-7 and it is panic time.
Baker is the 16th Reds manager since I started paying attention to baseball. Every single one of them has frustrated me to no end. But the good ones win titles. Baker is one of the good ones.