Quote:
Originally Posted by Rams Fan
If we're being quite honest, putting Happ, Lester, or Reyes in that situation is pretty much playing a game of Russian roulette. Happ and Lester should have been nowhere near a playoff team's roster in 2021. Scherzer is actually a good pitcher. Happ and Lester are not.
And the situation you painted with Scherzer is completely different. Scherzer came in a closing situation at the start of an inning.
The Cardinals, if things had worked out well after McFarland, would have gone to extras, at which point I'd have wanted Hudson and Flaherty.
There's literally no one in the rotation that I'd want to handle that situation except for Wainwright(who started) and MAYBE Mikolas.
The excuses aren't excuses. Mozeliak literally gave Shildt dog shit to work with in the bullpen aside from 3, maybe 4, relievers who were available that night (which he used before the 9th).
|
Scherzer knew when the game started that he'd likely be used to close it out. He was warming as the inning started to come into the 9th of that game. He's also been healthy all season as opposed to Hudson and Flaherty. But yeah, completely sound veteran arms are clearly the same as 2 young guys, one of whom has come back early from major surgery, the other has been fighting nagging arm issues all season. Clearly no reason to believe they'd take a little more time to get warm.
I've said I would've had no problem giving the ball to Whitley to try to get out of that inning and then turn it over clean to Flaherty or Hudson. I've said that's probably what I would've done, even.
But no, you don't go to a starting pitcher in a jam situation. Especially not younger ones coming off recent injury. Again, the Cardinals have had this exact situation with Michael Wacha and even money says Marcellus bitched up a storm when that decision was made.
This is a ridiculous discussion.