You Think Our Bullpen's Got Issues?

[G-Fafif]

Padres took a 3-0 lead in the first today in Denver.

Rockies went ahead 6-3 in the bottom of the first.



Padres trimmed it to 6-5 in the top of the second.

Rockies made it 9-5 in the bottom of the inning.



Padres closed to within 9-8 in the third.

Rockies added a run in the fifth and another three in the sixth to make it 13-8.



Padres scored two in the seventh...and four in the ninth.

The Rockies did not respond.



Final at Coors Field: Padres 14 Rockies 13.

Also, it rained.



Seven Padres and six Rockies pitched. Wade Davis pinned with the blown save.

[Frayed Knot]

And this was two days (Friday) after the Rox pen coughed up six in the 9th to allow the Padres to tie the game, and then five more in the top of the 12th.



Today game completed a split in what was a very Coors-ian four-game series where the two teams combined for a record 92 runs

Thursday: Rox 9 - Padres 6 [Game time = 3:26]

Friday: Padres 16 - Rox 12 [5:04 - 12 innings]

Saturday: Rox 14 - Padres 8 [3:39]

Sunday: Padres 14 - Rox 13 [3:31 + 1:07 delay]



And there were several delays during the games including two for weather and another for a broken water main which flooded the RF corner.

Charlie Blackmon, until recently in a season-long slump, had 15 hits in the series including back-to-back-to-back four-hit games (4, 4, 4, & 3)

Hunter Renfroe hit five HRs in the series incl. three in one game.

[Frayed Knot]

Kenley Jansen just missed blowing his second consecutive save opp; only a (close call) out at the plate for out #2 and then a diving catch in CF for #3 saved his butt.

Saturday night he gave up a game-losing, 9th inning, 2R HR to Rizzo



Dodgers wound up taking 3 of 4 from the Cubs.

[whippoorwill]

Hopefully complete games will start trending as a result of all this crappy bullpenning

[Lefty Specialist]

Yes, our bullpen has issues. Other teams having issues doesn't matter. Good teams overcome those issues. The Mets are not a good team.

[Edgy MD]

Well, I would question the wisdom of any team with any bullpen pulling Font after three no-hit innings, in a tie game in the eighth, in order to replace him with a pitcher just up from the minors, who hadn't had any success yet in several previous promotions.



I realize leaving Font in would've required letting him bat to lead off an inning, but the Flexen move was an absurd way to approach a tie game in the eighth.

[Frayed Knot]

You can't NOT pinch-hit for Font there. And then the question becomes: if not Flexen, then who?

Several of the usual suspects weren't available on Sunday. Plus the usual suspects have tended to be the prime suspects in recent pen meltdowns so it's not like

other options (even the ones which were still in play at that point) were sure bets to be improvements.

[Edgy MD]

if not Flexen, then who?

I think the manager should have asked that and come up with an answer.



Sure bets obviously aren't available. Wiser ones were, though. While I'd have taken anybody else, Familia would have topped my list, with Gagnon second. I actually like Flexen, but he was set up to fail.



Also, I think it's painting yourself into a corner to announce publicly before the game who is or isn't available. It also gives an advantage to the opposition.

[Edgy MD]

I wonder if they're going to make J.D. Davis available.

[Frayed Knot]

I'd be fine asking the manager but he's not answering my calls right now.

Not sure what in that situation made Flexen "set up to fail" or who the wiser bets were.



Gsellman? 6+ ERA, 15.75 ERA in June; had been used two days in a row

Lugo? wisely or not, they're not using him consecutive days and he had pitched the previous day and two of the previous three to the tune of 47 pitches

Diaz? Also two of the previous three, 51 pitches including 4 RA in his previous 3 games/4 innings

Familia? a 1 IP/4 ER previous outing. 13.50 June ERA

Gagnon? and his 6.75 ERA



Flexen was brought in to pitch an inning (or maybe more) but you're going to need to lean on less than ideal options when you have to lean on the pen after

starters go out earlier than expected in consecutive games and when your offense is managing just three runs off of 13 baserunners

[Edgy MD]

Frayed Knot wrote: Not sure what in that situation made Flexen "set up to fail" or who the wiser bets were.

I kind of went over it already.

2. He's been a starter, asked to pitch out of the bullpen in a tie game in the eighth — exactly the sort of situation developing starters are virtually 100% protected from.


4. He's never succeeded at all in several trips to the majors. A lot of guy are not pitching well. He has never pitched well. Never found a way to get big league hitters out.


6. He got murdered facing the Cards back in April.


8. The game is on the line, along with the series, on a Sunday afternoon, and he's just up from the minors.

None of the options being good does not mean all of the options aren't better. It's simply exactly the kind of situation you keep the newby out of. It's not a radical thought.



I also answered with regard to who I'd prefer. You totally didn't need to list them.