Quote:
Originally Posted by cosmo20002
Well, I mean if you are really trying to win the game, you pull him after 5. I don't take it for granted that the division is won yet.
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Right, but that's not Ned's philosophy, which is why so many people think he mismanages the pen. If you look at each game in a vacuum, obviously you play all of your best players, start your ace, clear the pen with your best relievers at the first sign of trouble, etc. In reality, you have to keep players fresh and pick and choose when you go for it. There's a reason jockeys don't go to the whip right out of the gate.
Today's game was a terrible matchup. Barring a collapse by Kluber, we weren't winning. Yost decided to rest two of his most important starters and hope for the best. Once Kluber came out dealing, Ned was content to let Guthrie go as long as he could and rest the bullpen as best he could. Had we scratched across 2 or 3 runs, Guthrie wouldn't have seen the 6th inning. It was pretty obvious that a lineup with Rios, Infante, Butera, and Orlando wasn't going to be able to touch Kluber once it was clear that he was on his game.