The AL East: Full of sound and fury signifying nothing?
Posted by Andy on October 7, 2011
Ten days ago, the AL East was on everybody's mind. The Yankees were the top team in the AL and the Red Sox and Rays were battling for the final playoff spot.
Now? All three teams are home for the winter.
This is probably a good thing for MLB at large, demonstrating that the field has evened some and other teams have a good chance. Perhaps we'll still see that all-midwestern Detroit-Milwaukee World Series?
October 8th, 2011 at 12:12 am
Eric W @90,
Sorry about my original comment it was unnecessarily abrasive and not well thought out.
As I said above, I disagreed with many of the moves that Girardi made as well as he was making them, but the results he got from his bullpen were of sufficient effectiveness that I don't think his managing was what cost the team the series, certainly not his management of the bullpen.
October 8th, 2011 at 8:15 am
I definitely assumed the phillies where able to triumph while combating the Cardinals, I actually had $50 riding on this game.. losing the actual cash isn't really the most significant lost, it is losing from the Cardinals (which i detest to the bone) Well more luck next time Greets Dave Loodgieter
October 9th, 2011 at 6:59 pm
I am aYankee fan, but I wasn t particularly surprised with the outcome. At times the Yankees has explosive output duirng the regular season, and there were two big runs games duirng the playoff but osmeone broght up the 60 Yankees who kicked the Pirates in three games, jsut humiiliated them but los the series in 7.
No one has mentioned it, but was starting Nova a smart move? ...and I m not talkng about the injury.
He was 16-4 and a 3.70 ERA but asking a pitcher with LESS then 200 innings of MLB experience to pitch a win or elimination game? This was essentially Nova s rookie season. he had a gaudy record, but I ve got to assume that with that ERA, he had receive a lot of run support. The Yanless HAD scored 10 in game 4, what where the chances they could generate a consecutive big run game. He gave up 2 gopher balls immediately, maybe he was nervous, , I am not criticizing Nova, but I don t know if staritng him was the right decision. He didn t have enough experience, he isnt Carpenter or Halladay
And that is a way of saying the Yanlees starting pictching wasn t that deep
I think Girardi did a good job to win the division, but the Yankees lost the last 4 regular season games and while they had won the race, it didnt help their confidence. He worked around A Rod being gone for 60 plus games and Posada s decline and whoever thought Posada should have been the regular DH for 2012? .....I didn t understand the logic. I think one BIG MISTAKE the Yankees made was not to try and keep Lance Berkman and try him as the DH. They let him go, saved millions and got a cheaper bench, I guess I undersand that.
I wouldl ike to see any manager in a key game, do unorthodox things, maybe a preditable starter is announced, but a reliever STARTS the game, as i recall nothing is firm until the line up card is given to the ump. . The manager pats his pitcher s s butt and says OK, I just need one inning and after that inning, he pats his butt again and says Hoss, youre my man give me one more. And then after 2 innings, maybe go to starter or another reliever. Pitching has changed so much since the advent of at least 5 starters a this point, who says that a starter MUST start a game. Girardi strikes me as a very orthodox manager.
I don t know if Girardi had even thought of it.....
What to do with a 30 million dollar a year player? A Rod doesn t houlder the blame for the Yankees loss....but he had nto come back form the surgery and he may now be a 6 hole hitter Maybe start him in 2012 as DH for some games and have him alternate at 3B
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October 9th, 2011 at 9:41 pm
was starting Nova a smart move?
Until you identify an alternative, smarter than leaving the mound unoccupied.
October 10th, 2011 at 7:39 pm
Johnny Twisto
I did identify an alternative
Read what i worte .
Girarid could have had have had trhe middle bullpen start and pitch Girardi would have seen if he could have gotten 5 innings out of the bullpen excluidng Riveriia) then gone to Sabathia or Nova....and then if they had a lead or tied gone to Riveira
maybe thereis less pressure if you tell a reliever... get me 4 outs (or 5) and you do it 3 or four times, then tell Nova its all on you. Most of us have agreed that Girardi didn t use his bullpen enough.
What I suggested is a way he could have used hos bullpen more
It was a MUST game for the Yankees, what were the chances of generating a blowout like game 5? And the the thought putitng it on the shoulders of a young pitcher with less then 200 innings of MLB experience was (in my opinion) not a smart move.
October 11th, 2011 at 1:01 am
Sorry, I didn't read your starting-a-reliever-proposal as being specific to the Yankees in game 5. Did you suggest this anywhere prior to the game?
I'm not sure how starting...who?...Wade? Ayala?...who haven't started any games this season would be preferable to starting Nova, simply because he's inexperienced. He did a very nice job in the continuation of Game 1. You're proposing Girardi do something "unorthodox"; but suggesting Nova can't handle the pressure because he's a rookie seems like very orthodox thinking.
October 11th, 2011 at 5:11 pm
No i didnt suggest it before the game,and yes in 2011, Nova was the number 2 starter for the Yankees .I just think he wasn t the RIGHT number 2 starter to START a do or die game. And it demonstrated that after Sabathia, the yankees didnt have a very deep starting rotation
the very concept of STARTING implies the expectation that you have to generate a quality start....45 years ago, if you STARTED, there was the expectation that you went nine innings.
but if you are the manager and you tell a reliever. look, its no big deal, I need and inning and a third.....maybe 2 innings, then I ll come and get you....its not about STARTING its about chewwing up an inning maybe 2 and its very good psychology...at least I think so A good reliever (m omitting the lights out closers like Riveria) should be able to pitch 1 to 2 innings in ANY part of a game.....unless he s bene programmed to think he s only the picher in the 5th and 6 th innings.....and I think baseball has become too specialized in that regard.
As for thinking that having g a relativey ienxpereinced rookie starter START and pitch a do or die game is unorthodox because of the assumption that he cant handle the pressure...........How many times have rookie pitchers started and suceeded in game 5 of 5 game series or game 7s.
Girardis bullpen pitfched 5 and a third innings......in 5 games, and the bullpen was a POSITVE part of the staff he didnt the staff enough If they could have chewed up some innings.maybe then bring in Nova.
One of the recurring idiocies of baseball is the manager who says.... I dont trsut my bullpen, but he doesn t use it enough. At 97 and 61, the Yankees clinched, and they had lost the last 4. Maybe they could have exprimented with a pich by committe approach in a couple of those games.
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