Quote:
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut
However long it takes him to get to a third turn through the order.
Look at the games the Cardinals have played in the playoffs. Almost all the damage, from both the Phillies and the Brewers, has come when they try to get the starters through the order a 3rd time. They're just getting crushed when they try to sneak through there to set up the bullpen. Carpenter's the only guy that's shown any ability to make it through a 3rd time.
The starters are gassed. They blew themselves out trying to run down the Braves and they just don't have the stamina left to make it through 6 or 7 innings. Worse still, they're not even really remaining competitive on that 3rd trip through; just flying apart.
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The starters aren't gassed, they just aren't that damned good. We're talking about Kyle Lohse and Jaime Garcia. Garcia is the one who you could make a gassed argument for, as he was gassed after 160 innings last year and he doesn't have the build or the guts to hold up.
Jackson doesn't look gassed to me, and has actually been the only starter aside from Carpenter with any real effectiveness. He only threw 199 innings in the regular season.
Garcia threw 428 pitches the last month of the season, which happened to be his lowest total of the year by 30.
Lohse had only four starts in September, and his pitches were, again, a year low.
Jackson's September was an average amount, pitch-wise, and not for a one inning relief appearance in mop up duty, would have been a low month.