Well when Carter has over a 1.000 OPS in September I think it is justified. You have to go with the hot hands whether it be in the lineup or in the bullpen.
With a loss today the Astros will no longer control their own destiny within the division. Rangers would have a 4 game lead in the loss column.
It's not like any of the relievers have done anything positive this past month or so. The other day people complain because he didn't pitch Neshek. Today they complain because he pitched Neshek. And, for the most part, you can insert any reliever's name and folks on this board reacted the exact same way.
The bullpen never felt that great though. We all knew Harris was pitching well over his head. Of course we were also better without Thatcher and Perez.
I want Carter gone next year with Valbuena too. Bring up White and find a well known closer cause this crap ain't cutting it.
The bullpen 100% has been huge to our success, unfortunately it's been a huge part of our failures too. I'm just worried that we're really just not that good. Besides the first month of the season when everything went right, we are a VERY average team...if not below average. I think we'll come back better next year but this year I'm just not sold. I hope I'm wrong
except Sipp and Gregerson. Now, Sipp is a FA, we need him back, and we need a closer to use Gregerson as a set up. With that closer, you have your 8 and 9 innings secure, and then you work Neshek, Harris and Fields in the 6-7 innings. We need another lefty, can Chapman be that second reliever? I don't know, i don't think so. Only good FA closer is Ziegler, but Arizona has an option. Now, we do have an option, in house. Lets say we don't re sign Kazmir, our rotation would be this: 1. K 2. McCullers 3. McHugh 4. Fiers 5. Feldman No space for Feliz nor VV, make one of the 2 a closer, they have the arms. Also Appel will be a factor next year for the rotation.
It didn't? We did? Your 6th-7th inning guy pitching over his head is the biggest issue with this pen? Hmm....
My problem with today's management is that he has a rested Gregerson sitting back there and instead he uses two RPs who have each have a WHIP of over 1.50 for the month (in Nesheks case, it is over 2.00). This was a very important game and he goes to two guys who are struggling when he could have gone to the best arm in the pen.
I'd play him too, at least over Valbuena at this point, but just noting how we can't have it both ways. Everything that can wrong, just seems to be going wrong these days. It sucks so bad, and this has been an epic collapse.
I actually thought it did feel great in the 1st half (maybe even 2/3?) of the year. Neshek and Gregerson were rock solid, Harris was outright dominant, Sipp was very solid, and Fields was somehow the lowest ERA guy of the bunch for a while. But yeah, Thatcher was garbage all year and made his way back somehow..
