Agree BUT Sipp has not exactly been a beacon of light in the past. Hinch continues to give leads away like Halloween candy. Refuses to shut the door and plays around.
With a double header the next day, I'm sure he felt a 4 run lead wasn't a terrible time to put in Fiers. And if we had a 1B, at least we'd have still had the lead. Gregerson has actually been one of our better bullpen arms this year. Giles also imploded. It just ****ing sucks. It sucks for a manager when your starter only goes 3 innings the day before a double header.
Hey his players love him and he is supposedly a really good teacher... but when it comes to his in game decisions, he is terrible. If they want to keep him as manager, they need a really experienced and strong bench coach that makes the in game decisions. As for tonight, I suspect a few players are thinking about taking the fungo bat to his knees.
You don't go to Gregerson with a 4 run lead in the 7th and the bases loaded and no one out. You go to one of your best bullpen arms and lock down the win. He went to Musgrove anyway the next inning. Then you don't have as much pressure going into the double header.
Don't say Giles wasn't mentally prepared either. The lead was only two 5th inning, and four in the 7th. Game was tied 8th and 9th. It didn't take Sherlock to realize a possible save opportunity.
I know Giles has been solid for a few months. But I think he is just missing something. To me it seems like if there is a little bit of pressure or adversity he crumbles. Also throwing 100 and he never seems to blow it past anyone. Sometimes that nasty slider gets whifs but batters never seem late getting to his fastball. I remember when people would routinely whif on Wagners fastball or going back to Nolan and Mike Scott. They would pitch a high four seamer and get a lot of swings and misses. How is Giles not getting more swings and misses on his gas then he does? I am not laying this loss at his feet. He contributed, but allowing Fiers and Luke to throw batting practice is where it started. Just frustrating. This is the kind of game you worry about looking back on and regretting let slip away.
We have 4 games in 3 days and a starter left early. You are gonna need the entire pen to pitch, even the sorry ones, in this scenario.
He went to Gregerson with 2 on. He got a groundball that Gurriel ****ed up on. I'm shocked Giles wouldn't be mentally prepared. A 4 run lead isn't a 10 run lead.
I don't know. The lead was 4 in the 7th. He clearly didn't look right and has done that before when he comes in with a big lead or behind.
I just find it hard to excuse sending all those bad pitchers out there with just a 4 run lead. Hinch imo managed tonight like the team has the AL lead wrapped up. Just gave the game away.
I forgot there were 2 on, it doesn't really change my point... you don't put out a fire like that with Gregerson. Do you think Giles was mentally prepared? Perhaps he just pitched poorly, but he didn't seem right to me.
Gregerson had been good most of the season and over his career. Musgrove has been great, but not a situation that he had been in. If he was going to anyone else in that situation it was going to be Harris or Devo.
Musgrove has come in with people on base. I would have been fine with Devo in that spot as well. Harris has struggled but even bringing him in would have made more sense. He brought in Gregerson because he wanted to save his high leverage relievers and it blew up in his face and he ended up using two of his high leverage relievers anyway. Poor judgment, but it isn't shocking and we move on. Do you think Giles was mentally prepared when he came in?
And at the end of the day, it mostly worked. 2 gave up 0 runs. Fiers gave you a scoreless inning. Had your closer come into the 9th with the lead. The only thing I think you do better is put in Giles with the bases loaded and nobody out. I'm not sure the results change, but I'll never understand saving your best pitcher for the 9th.
He was playing with fire.... there was a good chance it would comeback to burn us and it did... it is like playing the odds. There are lots of things he could have done better.... like going to a better pitcher than Gregerson with runners on in the 7th and no one out... like Musgrove (who he went to 10 minutes later) or Devo or even Harris. There are no guarantees they get the job done but the odds are better.
Gregerson is one of his high leverage relievers and the better groundball pitcher of the bunch. Devo had control issues now and HR issues too. Isn't that on Giles?
Gregerson has been shaky most of the season. His ERA and WHIP reflect that. He typically pitches well in blowouts or when we trail close, then serves it up with a close lead. Tying-run at the plate (today) equals a close lead.
