Location: A simple man leading a complicated life....
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Orioles manager Buck Showalter was grilled heavily during Tuesday night's postgame press conference because he never used baseball's best relief pitcher in his team's 11-inning Wild Card loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
It seems like an easy second-guess. Ubaldo Jimenez is no relief pitcher and Zach Britton might have extended the game for another inning or two, so Showalter took his medicine from the national media. Whether he deserved it or not depends on how you view the game strategy.
In retrospect, Britton would certainly have been a better choice to face Edwin Encarnacion, whose three-run walkoff homer ended the Orioles season, but the way the game was playing out, Showalter chose to stay with the guy who had totally stifled the Blue Jays five days earlier, hoping he would get another in a series of clutch double plays that had bailed the O's out of three previous jams.
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So, it was the wrong one, but I'll take issue with the TBS post-game analyst who called it the worst managerial decision he had ever seen. Showalter knew what he was doing and the risk he was taking and he'll be able to live with that.
Pedro Martinez was less critical on the postgame show, choosing instead to question whether Showalter should have pitched to Encarnacion at all with second base open. Obviously, he was not aware of Ubaldo's strikeout/walk ratio.
some managers won't use their closer on the road unless it's for a save.
I do understand the thinking. In extra innings, for the road team to win, there has to be a save opportunity. Britton could have come in, but there's no guarantee that the game ends while he's still in the game. You know that in order to win the game you have to get through the current inning, AND the next inning. It's not a terrible plan to keep your closer for that "next" inning.
I don't know if that makes it the right decision, but I understand the logic. It's very easy to second guess when you lose. Fact is, in a game like this, the losing manager is always going to be second guessed.
Location: A simple man leading a complicated life....
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Oct. 4 Buck Showalter postgame interview
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Q. Buck, was everything OK with Zach Britton? If so, why was he not used?
BUCK SHOWALTER: He was fine. He was fine.
Q. Did you consider using him at any point?
BUCK SHOWALTER: Yeah, I considered a lot of things during the course of the game, but our guys did a good job getting us to that point. We just couldn't finish it off. Yeah, he was available.
Q. I guess is it the philosophical thing of not wanting to use your closer in a tie game on the road?
BUCK SHOWALTER: No, same thing, eighth inning, ninth inning, I liked the job that Darren could do, I liked the job that Brad could do, I liked the job that Michael could do, I liked the job that Duensing could do. It looked like it was going to be one of those that was more than one inning. Nobody has been pitching better for us than Ubaldo, too. So there's a lot of different ways to look at it, so that's the way we went. It didn't work out. Has nothing to do with philosophical.
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Q. Buck, with the season on the line, do you regret not having your best relief pitcher in the game at all and leaving him on the bench?
BUCK SHOWALTER: You could do afterwards, yeah. But we went for about four innings there trying to get to that spot. It looked like if he pitches a couple innings, if he can physically, then you're assuming, which is a pretty good assumption with the way he's pitched this year -- no, playing on the road has a little something to do with it, too. But we have some good options that have done a great job for us all year, and Zach's one of those.
Q. Even with runners on first and third there and Zach's ground ball rate and you guys needing a double play, was there anything that crossed your mind about bringing him in there instead of Ubaldo?
BUCK SHOWALTER: Sure, it crosses your mind from about the sixth inning on. So there's a bunch of decisions to make there during the course of the game. Our pitchers pitched real well the whole game to hold that club to two runs at that point. You could make a case, probably other than Zach, Ubaldo is pitching better than anybody we've had for the last six or seven starts. Those are a lot of tough decisions, but we're maybe a little different if you're playing at home.
There's a lot of different ways to look at it. If we didn't have so many good options down there and we wanted to have a strong Zach and have him there in case the game goes extra innings. There's so much more to that game. But I know the world that you have to live in. So I respect that.
Then the ending where it gets a little testy!
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Q. I'm sorry to harp on this --
BUCK SHOWALTER: Are you really? Q. Well, I just don't understand it.
BUCK SHOWALTER: We can talk about it privately. I'll let you know everything I'm thinking. I understand you've got to ask your question. It's OK.
I know it ended in disappointment when Martin hit into a double play to end the 9th, but that inning was huge. It turned the order over a few extra at bats and meant the meat of our order shifted up a bit relative to the meat of Baltimore's. Next time they came up was the bottom of the fateful 11th while Baltimore's was on the bench waiting for the 12th.
Wow. Just got home. OH my GOD what a game. The highs and lows were unbelievable. The inning ending double plays to the pitching performances to EE hitting that no doubter.
Baseball is truly a wonderful game that produces more drama than any other sport in my opinion.
Bring on the stupid ugly idiot Rangers who suck!!!!
Last edited by flames_fan_down_under; 10-04-2016 at 11:23 PM.
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Crapped on him pretty hard after he hit into those two inning ending double plays but he started the winning rally and did a great job going 1st to 3rd on JDs single as well. Then scored the winning run when EE bombed one.
I have been in Europe for the past three weeks so wasn't able to watch and have missed a lot of the end of season drama but just caught the end of that game - electric atmosphere and just amazing drama.
I feel like MLB playoffs is the best at building intense drama and it delevered once again.
Bullpen were awesome tonight and so as Liriano. He did a great job shutting down the Orioles in his relief appearance.
Jays could have won the game earlier especially with 2 men on base. After giving up hits by Travis and JD, i was hoping they keep Ubaldo Jimenez longer which they did. Love that reaction by Encarnacion once he hit that ball. He knew it was a home run right away.
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Just haven't been able to peel away from the coverage to post until now. My thoughts are very un-gathered.
A coin flip game to begin with didn't let down. That was a classic from
The get go to the final pitch.
Lost in all this? Pillar's catch the at-bat before the Trumbo HR. What could easily have been a 3-1 game was just a 2-1 game which kept the Jays close.
Edwin's winner was gone off the bat. One of those moments where you drop everything you are holding and run around screaming like a kid. When else is that appropriate as an adult?
Travis played a heck of a game. So did Bautista and obviously Edwin with the winner. Bullpen fantastic no-hitting the O's. Grilli redeemed himself in the best way.
Sorry my thoughts are scrambled. It took a lot of beer to get to this point.
Jays-Rangers is happening. This is a gift for all of MLB but especially Jays fans.
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Thought Tulo's diving stab to get out, I forget the runner, maybe Machado(EDIT: it was Adam Jones EDIT#2: NOPE it was Schoop sheesh whoops)? Was an elite play by one of the best.
Defence was on point tonight.
Last edited by flames_fan_down_under; 10-05-2016 at 12:16 AM.
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Just haven't been able to peel away from the coverage to post until now. My thoughts are very un-gathered.
A coin flip game to begin with didn't let down. That was a classic from
The get go to the final pitch.
Lost in all this? Pillar's catch the at-bat before the Trumbo HR. What could easily have been a 3-1 game was just a 2-1 game which kept the Jays close.
Edwin's winner was gone off the bat. One of those moments where you drop everything you are holding and run around screaming like a kid. When else is that appropriate as an adult?
Travis played a heck of a game. So did Bautista and obviously Edwin with the winner. Bullpen fantastic no-hitting the O's. Grilli redeemed himself in the best way.
Sorry my thoughts are scrambled. It took a lot of beer to get to this point.
Jays-Rangers is happening. This is a gift for all of MLB but especially Jays fans.
Zaun and Tabler brought this up in the post game. Zaun actually thinks the mistake was the pitch they threw encarnacion.
It's like Grady Little and Pedro, looks like a bad decision in hindsight but your ace thought he had more in the tank.
The defense of starting the 9th with Brach would have been "I have three relievers I trust and I wanted to extend them for as long as possible in case we don't score until the 15th". That would have made sense. But that excuse goes out the window when you pick O'Day over Britton and goes into the dumpster below the window when you pick anyone else next. He was playing for the save and that's wrong.
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