StL 2024 Game #117 thread – Friday, August 9 at KC

[blingboy]

Maybe I am mixing together the 17 game streak in Shildt’s last year with the Brewer collapse in Marmol’s first year.

[KeepComingBack]

Im not saying it’s impossible for them to still make it. Last year it would have been impossible because they were horrible. This year it’s just improbable because they are mediocre and the teams ahead of them are playing better than they are.

[Bob Reed]

“Please show me where we ‘Got it done’ for a very long stretch. We have one month that we had a playoff caliber record.”

I think the poster was likely referring to the two-month stretch of May 12 to July 8, during which the Birds were an outstanding 33-18. (Of course, prior to that they were one of the worst teams in MLB at 15-24, and unfortunately all games count equally.)

I want to single out Marmol for praise, as he used Liberatore correctly for one of the few times in the past two seasons. Matt was throwing well, Ollie left him in. (Sometimes managing is simple, ain’t it?) Certainly could’ve left him in for the 8th inning, but with 3 full innings at least he was deployed in something approximating an old-fashioned long man role — which is what you have to do if you’re going to regularly pull starters at 85-90 pitches, and not overtax the one-inning relievers….

[KeepComingBack]

I’m kind of old Bob, so to me a month and a half isn’t a long stretch. Conversely, as you mentioned, they were horrible for a stretch approximately the same length. Baseball is a long season. It has a way of identifying who you are by your record on the last day of the season. We have 40 more games. Im using their 120 game season avg as as a predictor to who they are on that last day. I will be thrilled if they exceed their current win percentage.
You mentioned Marmol. IMO he makes the same decisions most other managers would in similar situations, and like most other managers, gets roasted when they don’t work. It’s the nature of the job.

[bicyclemike]

I have thought for quite awhile now that managers tend t make too many pitching chances. They get into this push button mentality that this guy is my 7th inning guy, this guy only works an inning, etc.

If a guy comes in and has an easy inning, why not put him out there for a seond inning? First of all, he is warmed up and loose, and second you just might save the usage of another guy. Do that a few times and by August your bullpen still has some gas to burn.

[KeepComingBack]

I agree Mike. But many of these managers/organizations have a script they follow that dictates their bullpen usage. They seem to be reluctant to ad lib, even when it makes total sense.

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