adambr2

I have no idea what you are talking about. I've brought it up before but only in passing, never in detail, and it has never once been discussed. Show me the thread or posts where "several people explained in detail why this can't work" and I'll take down the post. If not, perhaps you could just explain your opinion of why it can't work rather than just assuming something that didn't happen.

While I do like Counsell and think he is a good manager for this club, I personally do not think that managing a bullpen is one of his strengths at all. It's true that he doesn't have great personnel to work with, but you don't get to 18 bullpen losses in June without pulling some wrong strings along the way. Too many times there have been some tactical mistakes -- trying to use Peralta for multiple innings, pulling a reliever quickly for an inferior option only to have it blow up, ignoring the young pitchers in favor of overworked journeyman options. I still do not understand why Drake was used a 3rd day in a row with other fresh options available. It's one thing to use him -- you're going to have to use everyone at some point. But a 3rd straight day? We brought in guys like Hader to give us better options to use than the ones that have proven multiple times to be very poor options. If your trust in Hader and Espino is so low that you would prefer to use one of your worst relievers for a 3rd consecutive game in a tie extra inning game, then we have done nothing to fix the problem no matter what additional relievers we've added to the roster.

So we obviously have a major bullpen problem that doesn't seem to be getting better. Let's be frank -- the bullpen as currently constructed will likely cost us too many games to get to the postseason. We can't do nothing. In the absence of replacing most of them, or making expensive trades, what else can we do? What about just getting rid of them? A 4 man pen only -- Knebel, Barnes, Hughes and Hader. Peralta, Drake, gone. So instead of fixing the weakness, just get rid of the weak past of it, limit the use of the pen and use our strength -- starting pitching, to fix it. To do that, we'll need an 8 man piggyback staff. I tried to pair up guys with someone dissimilar to the other to give opposing hitters a different look, which wasn't always possible. SP1 Guerra/SP8 ?? SP2 Anderson/SP7 Davies SP3 Nelson/SP6 Suter SP4 Garza/SP5 Woodruff - I have no idea who to use as the 8th SP. There are a lot of candidates -- Espino, Lopez, and Blazek are the first 3 that come to mind. Ideally, it would be nice if Hader is eventually that guy and Taylor Williams moves into his pen spot, but I don't think either is quite there -- yet. Heck, Corbin Burnes doesn't look that far away. - Each starter is limited to a maximum of 4-5 innings or 80 pitches, in order to be available every 4 days, not 5. Exceptions in certain circumstances - day off coming up to allow extra rest, for instance. In general this should allow the rotation to take 7-9 innings most days. I fully realize this isn't happening. So don't roast me too bad. There's risks involved, pitchers are by nature creatures of habit, so if this backfired, nobody comes out looking good. Even if a manager was gutsy enough to try this, it would more than likely be in a year with nothing to lose, not a time when they're sitting in first place. So this is more just to start a discussion thinking outside the box a little bit, and I'd just be curious to see what people think would and wouldn't work about it.

The way in which Hader is being used is just really unfortunate, and he belongs back on the farm if it's going to continue. Presumably we did not bring him up to pitch from the pen for his development or so he could shoot the breeze in the pen with MLB relievers, we brought him up to help a terrible pen win games. 3rd straight day of relief work is typically reserved for shutdown closers or other elite relievers which Drake is obviously not. How Counsell could make that decision with at least 3 fresh options in a tie 11th inning game is beyond me.

They've brought in replacements. Replacements don't do much good if Counsell isn't willing to use them.

Frankly we are very fortunate not to be playing to prevent a sweep by the Padres tomorrow. We can't assume that this team is going to go on a nice big run just because they have a cushy schedule coming up . They could easily follow a 4-3 road trip with a 3-4 homestand against mediocre teams. Why can this team not win at home?

Again, you roll the dice on a mediocre reliever for a 3rd straight day in a tie game in the 11th while your #1 pitching prospect rots in the pen. Incredible .

This is Drake's 3rd straight game. Someone explain to me again why Hader is even up?

Broxton!!

You'll have this when you let the bad team hang around all game. You suck, Torres.

The pickoff plays to 2nd are doing more harm than good.

I didn't see it, but isn't that kind of a given? No one is going to be mad about a call that benefits them. Still doesn't change my feelings on doing away with umpires calling balls and strikes.

Who was complaining about that?

Thames better just grab a cup, form and pen as soon as he goes back into the clubhouse today.

Inside the park HR!! Heck he could have kept running and made it to first again.

He also came into today with 25 strikeouts in 18 innings. Well he's on pace to almost double that so far today.

This guy came into today with an 8 and a half ERA. Anyone plan on putting it in play at some point today?

Woah, there has to be a better one. Heck I think I have seen better by Arcia. Really good display of how strong of an arm he has, but it isn't like he had to really rush it or do anything off balance. He was playing deep and made a nice dive, but he has a lot of time to get up and set his feet. Definitely a SC Top 10 play of the day...but I really don't think it was much more than that. This one is pretty similar.

Bandy can be dropped all the way to 8 at this point.

This game feels like one we usually found a way to lose so far this season. Really glad we didn't this time, it would have been a very tough one .

Good strategy by Thames lately switching to wall scraping HRs so MLB will lay off the excessive testing.

And Thames does!!!!!!

Thames, Santana, Shaw, Pina, Broxton, Brinson, any of these guys are capable of winning it with one swing.

Hughes has looked a lot better lately.

Or a K on 3 pitches, whatever.