Dave Roberts is worse than DM already

[Villain]

The game on Wednesday, he kept putting in pinch hitters and that depleted the bullpen. He doesn't know what to do when it comes down to big choices. Why didn't he let Jansen pitch longer?

I think the bullpen is being limited much more by the inability of the starters to pitch past the 5th/6th inning than by the use of pinch hitters. Given the bigger picture and Roberts' knowledge that Thursdays starter (Ryu) would be making his first start since the Cold War, he knew he couldn't leave in relievers for too many innings. He needed them available in case Ryu imploded early and had to get pulled. Guess what? That's exactly what happened... how about that?

There's a reason why relievers are relievers and not starters. If they could maintain effectiveness for longer than 1 inning they wouldn't be relievers, they'd be starters. That's obviously a blanket statement, and before you try to "gotcha" me, I understand that relievers run a spectrum and there are some guys that are able to be long-relievers, etc. My point is, when you ask a guy who's used to throwing 100% for 20-some pitches a game - and that's it - to throw more than that, you're asking for trouble. That's why you don't let Kenley Jansen, your only reliable guy, to throw 45 pitches a game until his elbow explodes or he loses effectiveness because he isn't paced out that far.

Also, when you have a reliever throw more than one inning you make render them unavailable for the next game. This isn't the playoffs. The big picture matters, and yes, before you say it, every win counts. Even tomorrow's.

 

[pete6835]

I think the bullpen, blah blah blah

I appreciate your detailed response, but you're thinking in "general" and the norm. Roberts is a knee jerk reaction manager. He needs to let pitchers/players get out of their troubles and tough it out.

 

[Smed55]

I think the bullpen is being limited much more by the inability of the starters to pitch past the 5th/6th inning than by the use of pinch hitters. Given the bigger picture and Roberts' knowledge that Thursdays starter (Ryu) would be making his first start since the Cold War, he knew he couldn't leave in relievers for too many innings. He needed them available in case Ryu imploded early and had to get pulled. Guess what? That's exactly what happened... how about that?


There's a reason why relievers are relievers and not starters. If they could maintain effectiveness for longer than 1 inning they wouldn't be relievers, they'd be starters. That's obviously a blanket statement, and before you try to "gotcha" me, I understand that relievers run a spectrum and there are some guys that are able to be long-relievers, etc. My point is, when you ask a guy who's used to throwing 100% for 20-some pitches a game - and that's it - to throw more than that, you're asking for trouble. That's why you don't let Kenley Jansen, your only reliable guy, to throw 45 pitches a game until his elbow explodes or he loses
effectiveness because he isn't paced out that far.

Also, when you have a reliever throw more than one inning you make render them unavailable for the next game. This isn't the playoffs. The big picture matters, and yes, before you say it, every win counts. Even tomorrow's.

That's exactly what Torre did with Broxton a few years ago. Broxton made the Allstar team, was having a great first half, then in a game against the Yankees Torre let Broxton throw 49 pitches in a inning plus, Broxton sucked the rest of the year and has never been the same? Torre is and was an idiot, you don't let a guy that throws as hard as Broxton throw that many pitches in less than 2 innings, any normal fan would have seen Broxton just didn't have it that day!

 

[Smed55]

I will agree that Roberts shouldn't let Hatcher anywhere near the mound, let alone the stadium in any relatively close game! Home run Hatcher should only be used in blowouts until he figures out what the Hell he's doing!

 

[Villain]

I appreciate your detailed response, but you're thinking in "general" and the norm. Roberts is a knee jerk reaction manager. He needs to let pitchers/players get out of their troubles and tough it out.

So you're saying that he is misusing the bullpen?

Well, let's look at some pre-All-Star Break numbers:

• 3rd in MLB in fWAR - 1st in the NL.
• 8 other teams have more bullpen innings than the Dodgers. That's not a good sign, but the AL East leading Orioles are one of the teams who has used their's more as well.
• Lowest ERA in MLB, even though I'm not a fan of that stat.
• By FIP, a better stat IMHO, the Dodgers rank 3rd.
• 6th best K% - 2nd in NL
• 10th in BB% - 3rd in NL
• 5th best K-BB% - 2nd in NL
• Lowest BABIP in MLB (that one worries me, actually - makes me think things could get ugly later)
• Highest Fly Ball %, but 4th best FB/HR%
• 4th in soft-contact %

That's the whole gang together. I know this happens every year, and the bullpen is usually the first group to get skewered by casual fans and lazy writers (the ones you'll find writing for ESPN or the LA Times - Bill Plaschke types), but the Dodger's bullpen has not been the Team's achilles' heel this year - nor was it last year. Yet there the narrative is, season after season, "the bullpen is a joke! The manager doesn't know how to use them!" All you have to do is look at the readily available stats and you'll see that it's not as bad as the #EyeTest on TV would suggest. You know, the #EyeTest that is colored by watching the end of a game, probably a loss, when you might be a few beers in after a long day at work and you're tired and grumpy.

Somehow that walk and home run given up by Baez looks way worse and sticks in your head more than the fact that over half of the line-up didn't make it on base, again.

The problem this season has been the offense. The Dodgers are 16th in WAR on offense. That's not going to get them far. The Dodgers offense has been terrible.

 

[pete6835]

So you're saying that he is misusing the bullpen?

Well, let's look at some pre-All-Star Break numbers:

Misusing? Hmmmmm

Stats doesn't always equal wins. You can have 1.00 era and still lose.

The problem this season has been the offense. The Dodgers are 16th in WAR on offense. That's not going to get them far. The Dodgers offense has been terrible.

I agree the offense lacks clutch hitting. Maybe shake up the lineup

 

[Villain]

You can have 1.00 era and still lose.

That would be because the offense didn't produce more than one run.

I agree the offense lacks clutch hitting. Maybe shake up the lineup

Forget clutch hitting, how about any hitting? The Dodgers pitching (starters and bulllpen) consistently ranks in the upper echelon for almost every statistical category. The offense does not.

If this team wants to win the division, the biggest 2nd-half changes are going to need to happen in the batters' box, not on the pitchers' mound.

 

[pete6835]

That would be because the offense didn't produce more than one run.



Forget clutch hitting, how about any hitting? The Dodgers pitching (starters and bulllpen) consistently ranks in the upper echelon for almost every statistical category. The offense does not.

If this team wants to win the division, the biggest 2nd-half changes are going to need to happen in the batters' box, not on the pitchers' mound.

Then why is everyone saying they need another pitcher/ace?

They have the hitting, they just need a manager to light a fire under these slackers.

 

[Villain]

Then why is everyone saying they need another pitcher/ace?

They have the hitting, they just need a manager to light a fire under these slackers.

A different manager isn't going to magically heal Ethier's leg or get AJ Ellis to stop being old.

 

[pete6835]

Jansen sucks

 

[LASports96]

Jansen sucks

delete your fucking account

 

[Villain]

Jansen sucks

Is this your way of saying that you're going to vote for Trump?

 

[pete6835]

delete your fucking account

Typical Raiders fan. Stupid as stupid

 

[Villain]

Typical Raiders fan. Stupid as stupid

Typical shitposter - make a dumb comment and back it up with personal insults instead of actual points.

 

[LASports96]

Typical Raiders fan. Stupid as stupid

TYpical Cowgirls fan. An idiot.

 

[pete6835]

Typical shitposter - make a dumb comment and back it up with personal insults instead of actual points.

I said Jansen sucked and lost the game. He doesn't suck all the time like you fools.

 

[Villain]

I said Jansen sucked and lost the game. He doesn't suck all the time like you fools.

Cool, well since you're not interested in adding any discussion of value, I'm gonna lump you in with smed and put you on ignore.

Enjoy shitposting without an audience.

 

[pete6835]

Bullpen gonna lose it

 

[Villain]

DAVE ROBERTZ IS DA WURSSS!!!!

/Manager of the Year

 

[pete6835]

LMAO - Good job!