Cox goes to 4-man playoff rotation | ajc.com
I actually like the four-man rotation. There really isn’t enough difference among these pitchers to justify starting Wright or Thomson on three days’ rest. I’m pretty much opposed to changing rest patterns for postseason anyway.
But Russ Ortiz “virtually assured” of a spot? For God’s sake, why? Paul Byrd would be in the bullpen if Hampton can pitch.
I guess you could either have Ortiz in the pen and have Bobby be more hesitant about pulling a starter early if he gets in trouble or gamble that Ortiz will respond to the pressure and be somewhat dominant with the luxury of having a real go-to guy like Byrd ready if the quick hook is necessary. Bobby wasn’t afraid to pull Ortiz in the 3rd in the clincher so maybe that’s a good sign. We don’t need another ’02 Glavine debacle.
After thinking about it, I like the four-man as well. Getting an extra inning out of every starter (hopefully) will help our bullpen, which has been weak as of late.
I am very worried about Ortiz. Since the All-Star break he has been awful. His K/BB is about 1 and his HR/9 is 1.87. He’s putting guys on without taking them off, then serving up a long ball.
His K/BB is about 1 and his HR/9 is 1.87.
Yikes. Those are Gryboski numbers.
It’s not quite since teh AS break he’s been bad; dude did go 5-0 in July and his first start in August was good also. It’s since August 8 that he’s been awful – he has only three quality starts in his last ten games (one of those a shutout against Montreal, another in Dodger Stadium), vs. 5 games in which he’s allowed 5 runs or more and _7_ in which he hasn’t completed 6 innings. Ouch.