This fortnight will belong to Miguel Batista. Comments on Batista's pitching approach, delivery, stuff and command will be welcome. Of course, any other comments on the bullpen and John Gibbons' trigger decisions have a home here too.
Perfect bullpen management tonight by Gibby. That guy who pitched the ninth is a helluva closer.
Batista is no Halladay. His stuff is actually comparable, but his command and consistency have never been Cy Young calibre, and never will be. Fans who wish he was Brad Lidge or Frankie Rodriguez can expect constant disappointment. Miggy is always going to walk a few, because there's so much movement on his pitches that they dart out of the zone. It's not surprising that some hitters go up there against him taking and hoping. As long as he can throw a four-seamer for strikes when he gets behind in the count, he'll keep getting the job done most of the time. Not without making a lot of people nervous; to recycle one of my old Escobar lines, Batista may not have an ulcer, but he's definitely a carrier.
Batista is no Halladay. His stuff is actually comparable, but his command and consistency have never been Cy Young calibre, and never will be. Fans who wish he was Brad Lidge or Frankie Rodriguez can expect constant disappointment. Miggy is always going to walk a few, because there's so much movement on his pitches that they dart out of the zone. It's not surprising that some hitters go up there against him taking and hoping. As long as he can throw a four-seamer for strikes when he gets behind in the count, he'll keep getting the job done most of the time. Not without making a lot of people nervous; to recycle one of my old Escobar lines, Batista may not have an ulcer, but he's definitely a carrier.
Jason Arnold closes it out for Scuse tonite, lets give Batista the gaudy numbers, get what we can mid season for him, and Arnold may just be what we need.
Doc gives the bullpen another day off.
April 30
The Yankee lineup lists right, but Schoeneweis might see action today, as he is rested and Lilly and Chacin are up next. Gibby has plenty of options.
After an easy 1-2-3 eighth from Frasor and going to the bottom of the ninth tied, Gibby chose to go with Chulk. Some criticized the decision, but for me, it was a reasonable move. I might have preferred to leave Frasor in; if the Jays were to win the game, it would have to go to extras, and you don't want to run through your bullpen by giving short stints.
I might have preferred to leave Frasor in; if the Jays were to win the game, it would have to go to extras, and you don't want to run through your bullpen by giving short stints.
Then you really don't agree with the move Mike.
Gibbons has been far better than his two predecesors in the bullpen management department, however this type of move still confuses me. Relievers are inconsistent. Using more than necessary is just a way to find the one that isn't having a 'good day'. BTW I like Chulk, I think he's currently the best reliever on the team. I just don't see ANY upside in removing Frasor for him at that juncture.
May 1
Batista had a good approach today. He pounded the strike zone consistently, instead of nibbling. His stuff can tolerate that, and with a 2 run lead, it is easier to do. Gibby used Schoeneweis appropriately today to face 4 batters, and SS responded. With Chacin up tomorrow, Schoeneweis will probably get a break.
May 2
Gibbons left Chacin in longer than most managers would have. It was a wise move. Gus wasn't at his best, but still went 7.1 innings. This is getting to be a very healthy pattern, with consequences for the bullpen.
Jason Frasor was throwing smoke or whatever metaphor you want to use. Great outing by him. It's nice when you can go through only two pitchers and you're in the top of the 11th.
Chulk lost his command a bit, but I think Joe West was squeezing him.
SS picked up his defense with a *huge* strikeout. I didn't see Batista, but it was a 4-run lead, how bad could he be?
Huckaby better catch tomorrow. :)
Chulk lost his command a bit, but I think Joe West was squeezing him.
SS picked up his defense with a *huge* strikeout. I didn't see Batista, but it was a 4-run lead, how bad could he be?
Huckaby better catch tomorrow. :)
May 3
Towers has a shutout through 6. It's just as well, as the bullpen had a lot of work the past two days. Pete Walker is fresh, but may not see work in light of the situation.
Maybe I haven't seen Batista pitch a lot, but he sure looked good tonight. Better than I remembered him in the ninth. Calm, fluid motions. He got a bit lucky with Brian Roberts, though, as strike 2 wasn't exactly a strike and Roberts chased a pitch in the dirt.
But still, nothing to complain about in a 3-up, 3-down inning.
But still, nothing to complain about in a 3-up, 3-down inning.
Just imagine the potential of this team if they could count on the longball a little bit more.
Not to dismiss the long ball, but to me personally, the reliance on the long ball to get back into games sometimes caused their downfall. What's keeping this team rolling is the decent run production, but more the pitching. When the pitching gives up 2 runs in 2 games including outstanding bullpen work, then the offence knows that squeaking out some runs here and there will do the job. In the minds of the players, squeaking out some runs here and there seems mentally simpler than waiting on a big homer. And therefore it's getting done. Plus, when the home run comes along, it'll just be icing.
Although there hasn't been alot of offence the last two games, the pitching is keeping us in it. When the pitching goes into a little rut, the offence has been there. So, even if we're not always firing at all cylinders, one aspect of almost every win so far has been outstanding, while the others have been mediocre. The key though, is that so far it has worked.
Although there hasn't been alot of offence the last two games, the pitching is keeping us in it. When the pitching goes into a little rut, the offence has been there. So, even if we're not always firing at all cylinders, one aspect of almost every win so far has been outstanding, while the others have been mediocre. The key though, is that so far it has worked.
As I said in the game thread, I like Gibbons' bullpen management. Batista is settling in as a closer nicely, with Frasor as the primary set-up man. Chulk and Schoeneweis get a lot of 7th and 8th inning work.
Batista is throwing strikes, and as long as he keeps doing that, he'll be fine.
Batista is throwing strikes, and as long as he keeps doing that, he'll be fine.
I was a little surprised to see Pete Walker warming up last night in the 8th inning. It appears, at least in the short term, that the team is switching the roles of Walker and Speier.
Setting aside Batista, it seems to me that Gibbon's order of preference right now is:
Chulk
Frasor
Walker
Speier
Whiteside
with SS coming into the game when the opposing lineup leans LH.
Setting aside Batista, it seems to me that Gibbon's order of preference right now is:
Chulk
Frasor
Walker
Speier
Whiteside
with SS coming into the game when the opposing lineup leans LH.
I didn't like Gibbons pulling Frasor in Sunday's loss and said why above. I really like that Gibbons learned from his error and let Frasor pitch more than two dominant innings during the extra inning game. Baltimore in that game did exactly what Tosca and Martinez used to do and drive me nuts. Having your starter get to the eighth inning and then run out of pitchers by the twelveth is simply unacceptable. I like Gibby.
May 4
I wasn't watching today. There seems to be some controversy about whether Halladay should have been pulled after the Mora at-bat. Were there signs that he was tired prior to the at-bat, in Halladay's appearance on the mound?
Didn't get to watch the game either, but listened to the 7th and eighth innings on the way home. Overall I think it was known Halladay didn't have his best stuff as through 7 he had given up 8 hits and had just two strikeouts, both looking, and with a very generous strikezone (according to Jerry Howarth, who also mentioned this was a large part of Bedard's career day).
In the seventh, Halladay I believe threw just 4 pitches, and all of them were hit hard (one single), and all four made it to the outfield (no grounders). I think both of these things indicate that Halladay was near done.
However I can completely understand sending him out to start the eighth. He's the ace and if he wants to go back out, I think you have to let him. But Gibbons should have had a reliever ready. Roberts hit a line drive single, and then Halladay really struggled to put away Mora. This was the time to remove Hallladay. Now in saying that I'm not going to say this would have gotten the Jays a win. That Orioles' middle of the order is tough, and anyone can struggle with it. However if the question is whether Halladay should have been removed, I say yes.
In the seventh, Halladay I believe threw just 4 pitches, and all of them were hit hard (one single), and all four made it to the outfield (no grounders). I think both of these things indicate that Halladay was near done.
However I can completely understand sending him out to start the eighth. He's the ace and if he wants to go back out, I think you have to let him. But Gibbons should have had a reliever ready. Roberts hit a line drive single, and then Halladay really struggled to put away Mora. This was the time to remove Hallladay. Now in saying that I'm not going to say this would have gotten the Jays a win. That Orioles' middle of the order is tough, and anyone can struggle with it. However if the question is whether Halladay should have been removed, I say yes.
I think he was done after the Mora at bat. He showed physical signs of fatigue in how long it took him to gather himself between pitches. He was almost "Bedard slow", often walking around the mound and making quite a few throws over to first. When Halladay is on he is down right fast on the hill, toeing the rubber waiting for the batter to get back in the box. It took 15 minutes (I know because I was leaving for work) from the start of the inning to the Sosa triple. I still would have left him in to face Sosa (he's earned that much, especially with Frasor and Batista needing the day off). After the triple, I would have made a pitching change.
Thanks, Stellers Jay. Few, if any, managers would remove their ace, who is pitching a shutout in the 8th inning and has thrown about 100 pitches. Halladay has definitely closed out games in the past despite being tired, and the tactical decision to leave him is, on the game level, reasonable.
As Andrew K pointed out in the game thread, there is a real concern about arm health arising from repetitively pitching while tired. That's a whole 'nother story.
As Andrew K pointed out in the game thread, there is a real concern about arm health arising from repetitively pitching while tired. That's a whole 'nother story.
I agree with you Mike Green, Halladay's definitely earned the right to get himself out of trouble, especially with the shut out still in place. That right was cemented with the fact that Frasor and Batista (in all likely hood) were unavailable yesterday. Under the circumstances, Halladay was the best option to have out there and provided the best chance of winning the game. I still think Chulk or Schoeneweis should have been brought in after the Sosa triple. If Frasor were rested and available, I think he should have been brought in to face Sosa.
Yesterday, the bullpen got a lot of work after a rough Lilly start. Matt Whiteside was predictably rocked after a 2 week layoff, while Walker, Chulk and Schoeneweis were well-rested and pitched very well.
May 8
It's a short bullpen day today for Gus, with Frasor, Schoeneweis and Batista available and reasonably rested.
You have to be an incurable optimist to find good in a 4th loss in a row, but what the hey. Gus did a nice job to keep the game close through 6 innings after the rough start. This shortened the game for the bullpen when they really needed the help. It's this kind of effort that will stand the team in good stead in the long haul.
Chulk pitched a solid inning, and then Frasor and Batista both looked good in cleaning it up, and giving the offence a chance. Now, if Zaun is OK, it will have been a loss that good can come from.
Chulk pitched a solid inning, and then Frasor and Batista both looked good in cleaning it up, and giving the offence a chance. Now, if Zaun is OK, it will have been a loss that good can come from.