If he'd have left Mlicki in, and he'd given up 5 runs, you'd all be b****ing about Williams not taking him out. Well, yeah, because you probably don't leave Mlicki in if he gives up 4 or 5 more hits in the 9th inning... It is possible to take people out in the middle of an inning.
At that point, the bullpen is more likely to give up 1 or 2 runs than it is 4...point is, you'd still be b****ing if Williams kept him in and we lost. I liked the move because it was a good chance to put in our bullpen at a time when they were most likely to get out with a win, thus improving their shaken confidence.
With most of the bullpen, the problem isn't confidence, but the fact that they totally suck. With Billy Wagner, the problem seems to be that he's lost movement on his fastball. No amount of confidence is going to put his K/BB ratio back where it was. Just a good pitching coach, hopefully...
At that point, the bullpen is more likely to give up 1 or 2 runs than it is 4...point is, you'd still be b****ing if Williams kept him in and we lost. Not really, because I would have agreed with the move. Notice that I posted this post BEFORE the 9th inning ever started. Decisions don't always work out, but generally, there's always one that I prefer. With the way Williams is using our bullpen (by choice, not by force), all their arms are going to fall off in August or September. Anytime we have a chance to keep a SP in there, we need to do it as long as reasonably possible. I liked the move because it was a good chance to put in our bullpen at a time when they were most likely to get out with a win, thus improving their shaken confidence. Do you think the fact that "hey, we didn't blow a 4 run 9th inning lead" is really a confidence-builder? That's like saying, hey, I was able to run a 30-minute mile!
Do I have selective memory?? I seem to remember him pitching well in some big games down the stretch. I KNOW he pitched well in the playoffs...in fact, I think he pitched better than any other Astro in the playoffs last year. I was actually at that game.
If I hadn't have been able to run a 30 minute mile, and finally did, I'd be very happy about it. Baby steps. I didn't notice when you posted this because I wasn't watching the game. I simply think that y'all are overreacting. In the long or short run, it doesn't really matter if Mlicki gets a complete game or not, I'm just happy he pitched well and that the bullpen pitched well.
I didn't notice when you posted this because I wasn't watching the game. I simply think that y'all are overreacting. In the long or short run, it doesn't really matter if Mlicki gets a complete game or not, I'm just happy he pitched well and that the bullpen pitched well. I agree that it worked out well, but if a person continually makes bad decisions (which I consider this to be), it will eventually catch up to you. I call it the Chris Simms syndrome. This particular move had separate issues because it would have been a great personal achievement for Mlicki, but outside of that, I don't like the tendency to yank starters earlier than (I feel) they should be yanked. It seems to be a disturbing pattern so far. Hopefully, its just an early-season thing, though.
I wonder if Mlicki's trade value is up after this game... Hunsicker needs to talk to the dumbass Dodgers and try to sell Mlicki as a "Barry Bonds" stopper, and see what he could get in return.
Hunsicker needs to talk to the dumbass Dodgers and try to sell Mlicki as a "Barry Bonds" stopper, and see what he could get in return. Unfortunately, we have a massive lack of starting pitching right now. Redding sucks already as our #5 starter, and there's really no minor-leaguers who are major-league ready right now.
haven, you continue to say that William's tendency in Boston was to overpitch his starters, but I have still yet to see or hear any evidence of that (with the exception of maybe Pedro Martinez, and who can blame him for wanting to keep THAT guy out there as long as possible). Everything I heard about Jimy coming out of Boston was that he had a quick hook. He seems to be demonstrating that now. And regarding Wagner and his confidence. He does seem to have lost movement on his fastball, and granted confidence can't really improve that, but one of his other problems is that his control has been poor, walking more batters than he normally would. I think THAT is a symptom of low confidence (as well as other things).
As long as we don't have any attempted steals of third with two outs in the 9th, down by one, I'll be happy.
Max: I've had this debate before, with haven. Haven's counting Mlicki's stats while pitching in Detroit to make that claim. If you count his numbers for the Astros alone, his numbers jump significantly. Personally, I think factors like playing in the National League, having a chance to contend, playing in a better clubhouse, and other intangibles can affect a player's performance, and that's a large part of why Dave's improved in Houston, imo. I think you, I, and a number of other posters value intangibles such as those more than haven. I suppose there's no way to prove either side as being correct, so it'll just remain personal preferance.
I wonder if maybe something clicked between Dave and our pitching coach. Maybe Hooten spotted something in his delivery, or maybe Hooten has come up with a better strategy for Dave to use. I don't know. I think that might explain the dramatic improvement over Dave's performance with Detroit.
He gave a lot of credit to Ausmus for getting him to be more aggressive & not nibble on the corners so much.
Mlicki surprised me last year as well. No, he doesn't have one "good pitch," but he spots them well enough to allow his fielders to help him. He's had quite a few quality starts since joining the Stros. I don't give a darn about his #'s in Detroit. Meaningless, imo. It's Detroit.
Ausmus was quoted as saying he talked Mlicki into picking up the pace of his pitching. Seems he was taking too long to deliver and thinking about the pitch too much. Ausmus had him stop thinking and just throw the pitch. He's done much better ever since.
