Well after the Cruz and Martin implosions, I guess the call to Reitsma doesn’t look AS bad. I don’t think that Alfonseca and Smoltz could have been expected to get 9 outs after being worked as hard as they have been. When Reitsma was called on, I was hoping – nay praying – for Cruz. But he didn’t have it either.
So how can we rebuild this patchwork bullpen this winter?
Colin
on October 11, 2004 at 11:27 pm
Hampton should have been the first guy out of the pen in a close game.
Reitmsa I don’t want to burn in hell. He simply is what he is. That bobby managed to find a way to leave him in for 5 f###ing runs is mind-boggling.
I really thought Wright would come through tonight. I was impressed witht eh way the offense was working Oswalt hard, and had hopes against their bullpen. But our pen was just spent from too much work the last few days, and it showed.
Greg
on October 12, 2004 at 4:12 am
I HATE CHRIS REISTMA!!! I do want him to burn in hell.
MWS
on October 12, 2004 at 9:53 am
I don’t believe in hell, but it’s pretty childish to wish a person ill just because he performed poorly in a baseball game. Grow up a little.
Why? Because your team is inherently evil (I know this as a Phils fan).
But seriously, don’t make the same mistake the Philly faithful did in 1993–blaming Mitch Williams for the WS loss. Reitsma was just doing his job. He tried but didn’t have it. Bobby Cox sat on Reitsma and Cruz, and managed horrifically throughout, as usual. What was he doing pulling his cleanup hitter when nine runs behind, just to allow Paul Byrd to stay in the game?
Cox is probably the best manager of his generation and worked wonders with a team that had no business making the playoffs this year, but even with the one World Series ring, he’ll always be remembered for coming up short in the postseason. He’ll have to follow Torre into the Hall some day.
Besides Reitsma didn’t allow Biggio to go to third on a one-hopper to right. Reitsma clearly should have been gone before Bagwell and probably before Beltran was up.
sansho1
on October 12, 2004 at 6:22 pm
Besides Reitsma didn’t allow Biggio to go to third on a one-hopper to right. Reitsma clearly should have been gone before Bagwell and probably before Beltran was up.
Actually, he did. I was at the game, and Reitsma’s job was to back up the play at the plate, which he did not do. He was hovering somewhere between the mound and the plate.
MikesBBallRants
on October 12, 2004 at 8:55 pm
You’re right, he is evil. But what about the Cox comments.
sansho1
on October 12, 2004 at 9:38 pm
I don’t think Cox did anything terribly wrong, nothing so egregious as Garner’s bumbling in game 4. Maybe he could have pinch-hit for Wright, but the bullpen was taxed and we were only a couple of runs behind. I think he wanted at least 7 innings from Wright so the pen could be fresh for the beginning of the NLCS. Garner rode his big two horses as long as they could go, and now he’ll have scrubs starting Games 1 and 2. You might disagree, but if the goal is to win the WS I think you have to consider that kind of thing.
MikesBBallRants
on October 12, 2004 at 11:50 pm
Well, comparing him to Garner in game 4 is a bit unfair. That was about as bad as it gets. Cox may have been thinking about the WS but he still has to win THAT game. And he didn’t. This is the fifth year straight in which they lost in the first round. Cox bunted, sent runners like crazy, and didn’t make the pitching changes he needed to make. Everyone but the game four starter should have been available. Maybe they wouldn;t have done any better but do you want your season in Chris Reitsma’s hands? In the deciding game, if a pitcher doesn’t have it, you have to get him out right away. He didn’t, twice. And he did pull his cleanup hitter down 9 runs. That’s kind of a mistake, don’t you think?
sansho1
on October 13, 2004 at 12:26 am
I didn’t think Drew should have run that one time, but sending runners was very successful overall–they were 7 for 8 in SBs for the series.
I agree with your criticism of the bunting.
As far as keeping Wright in the game too long, again I think maybe he did. But check it out, our starters in the first four games went 4.1, 6.1, .1, and 3 innings, meaning the bullpen had thrown 22 innings in 4 games (22.2 by the time Reitsma came in game 5). Gryboski was gone, Alfonseca had pitched in every game, Martin (ech), Cruz yeah maybe, and you can’t use Smoltz yet. Maybe they could have brought Byrd in earlier, but there again he might have been Cox’s Game 1 starter in the LCS. He was obviously trying to steal an inning with somebody who hadn’t pitched well, and it didn’t work out at all, but I don’t think it was a horrible decision.
And he did pull his cleanup hitter down 9 runs. That’s kind of a mistake, don’t you think?
Estrada was due up 8th in the bottom of the 8th, down, and we were losing 12-3. I guess that’s a mistake, but if so it’s a mistake on the order of leaving the coffee pot plugged in after Uncle Bob’s cigar ash burned your house down….
I appreciate that the pen was overworked, but this is the deciding game. They have all winter to rest (and visit Furcal in jail). If a pitcher doesn’t have it, get him out. Someone else suggested that he was setting up his staff for the rest of the playoffs–that’s insane. Garner managed quite poorly throughout and his team may get trounced in the NLCS, but he did go all out to get there. Cox did not. Anything else is Bush-esque obfuscation and lies.
Estrada: He’s due up 8th, but they are trailing by 9. If they expect to come back, they would need their best hitters and odd are that they would need him in that spot. If Estrada is batting cleanup, it must be for some reason (other than the dysfunctionality of the Braves lineup). If the Phils were down by 9 in the deciding game of a series (not that they could ever make the playoffs) and the manager pulled Thome, he would be filleted. I guess it’s not a big mistake if he expects to lose 12-3 or 12-6 or something. If he is actually trying to win, it did nothing but hinder that cause.
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Worst reliever ever!!!
Well after the Cruz and Martin implosions, I guess the call to Reitsma doesn’t look AS bad. I don’t think that Alfonseca and Smoltz could have been expected to get 9 outs after being worked as hard as they have been. When Reitsma was called on, I was hoping – nay praying – for Cruz. But he didn’t have it either.
So how can we rebuild this patchwork bullpen this winter?
Hampton should have been the first guy out of the pen in a close game.
Reitmsa I don’t want to burn in hell. He simply is what he is. That bobby managed to find a way to leave him in for 5 f###ing runs is mind-boggling.
I really thought Wright would come through tonight. I was impressed witht eh way the offense was working Oswalt hard, and had hopes against their bullpen. But our pen was just spent from too much work the last few days, and it showed.
I HATE CHRIS REISTMA!!! I do want him to burn in hell.
I don’t believe in hell, but it’s pretty childish to wish a person ill just because he performed poorly in a baseball game. Grow up a little.
Why? Because your team is inherently evil (I know this as a Phils fan).
But seriously, don’t make the same mistake the Philly faithful did in 1993–blaming Mitch Williams for the WS loss. Reitsma was just doing his job. He tried but didn’t have it. Bobby Cox sat on Reitsma and Cruz, and managed horrifically throughout, as usual. What was he doing pulling his cleanup hitter when nine runs behind, just to allow Paul Byrd to stay in the game?
Cox is probably the best manager of his generation and worked wonders with a team that had no business making the playoffs this year, but even with the one World Series ring, he’ll always be remembered for coming up short in the postseason. He’ll have to follow Torre into the Hall some day.
Besides Reitsma didn’t allow Biggio to go to third on a one-hopper to right. Reitsma clearly should have been gone before Bagwell and probably before Beltran was up.
Besides Reitsma didn’t allow Biggio to go to third on a one-hopper to right. Reitsma clearly should have been gone before Bagwell and probably before Beltran was up.
Actually, he did. I was at the game, and Reitsma’s job was to back up the play at the plate, which he did not do. He was hovering somewhere between the mound and the plate.
You’re right, he is evil. But what about the Cox comments.
I don’t think Cox did anything terribly wrong, nothing so egregious as Garner’s bumbling in game 4. Maybe he could have pinch-hit for Wright, but the bullpen was taxed and we were only a couple of runs behind. I think he wanted at least 7 innings from Wright so the pen could be fresh for the beginning of the NLCS. Garner rode his big two horses as long as they could go, and now he’ll have scrubs starting Games 1 and 2. You might disagree, but if the goal is to win the WS I think you have to consider that kind of thing.
Well, comparing him to Garner in game 4 is a bit unfair. That was about as bad as it gets. Cox may have been thinking about the WS but he still has to win THAT game. And he didn’t. This is the fifth year straight in which they lost in the first round. Cox bunted, sent runners like crazy, and didn’t make the pitching changes he needed to make. Everyone but the game four starter should have been available. Maybe they wouldn;t have done any better but do you want your season in Chris Reitsma’s hands? In the deciding game, if a pitcher doesn’t have it, you have to get him out right away. He didn’t, twice. And he did pull his cleanup hitter down 9 runs. That’s kind of a mistake, don’t you think?
I didn’t think Drew should have run that one time, but sending runners was very successful overall–they were 7 for 8 in SBs for the series.
I agree with your criticism of the bunting.
As far as keeping Wright in the game too long, again I think maybe he did. But check it out, our starters in the first four games went 4.1, 6.1, .1, and 3 innings, meaning the bullpen had thrown 22 innings in 4 games (22.2 by the time Reitsma came in game 5). Gryboski was gone, Alfonseca had pitched in every game, Martin (ech), Cruz yeah maybe, and you can’t use Smoltz yet. Maybe they could have brought Byrd in earlier, but there again he might have been Cox’s Game 1 starter in the LCS. He was obviously trying to steal an inning with somebody who hadn’t pitched well, and it didn’t work out at all, but I don’t think it was a horrible decision.
And he did pull his cleanup hitter down 9 runs. That’s kind of a mistake, don’t you think?
Estrada was due up 8th in the bottom of the 8th, down, and we were losing 12-3. I guess that’s a mistake, but if so it’s a mistake on the order of leaving the coffee pot plugged in after Uncle Bob’s cigar ash burned your house down….
Sansho1,
I appreciate that the pen was overworked, but this is the deciding game. They have all winter to rest (and visit Furcal in jail). If a pitcher doesn’t have it, get him out. Someone else suggested that he was setting up his staff for the rest of the playoffs–that’s insane. Garner managed quite poorly throughout and his team may get trounced in the NLCS, but he did go all out to get there. Cox did not. Anything else is Bush-esque obfuscation and lies.
Estrada: He’s due up 8th, but they are trailing by 9. If they expect to come back, they would need their best hitters and odd are that they would need him in that spot. If Estrada is batting cleanup, it must be for some reason (other than the dysfunctionality of the Braves lineup). If the Phils were down by 9 in the deciding game of a series (not that they could ever make the playoffs) and the manager pulled Thome, he would be filleted. I guess it’s not a big mistake if he expects to lose 12-3 or 12-6 or something. If he is actually trying to win, it did nothing but hinder that cause.
Anything else is Bush-esque obfuscation and lies.
Oh. OK pal, I’ll bow out of this one.
Sorry, was that a bit over the top?