This game highlighted my biggest concern about the Royals in the playoffs: their pitching staff does not work well with modern playoff bullpen usage.
Modern conventional wisdom in the playoffs is that you hope to get 4 or 5 innings from your starter before throwing fresh arm after fresh arm at your opponen…
This game highlighted my biggest concern about the Royals in the playoffs: their pitching staff does not work well with modern playoff bullpen usage.
Modern conventional wisdom in the playoffs is that you hope to get 4 or 5 innings from your starter before throwing fresh arm after fresh arm at your opponent.
They Royals have about 2.5 relievers you trust to use in an important situation. After adding Lorenzen and Marsh to the mix, maybe make that 3.75? (Yeah, fractional pitchers are not a thing but that's how I'm expressing my lack of confidence in anyone not named Erceg or Bubic.)
I'm curious whether Q will manage following the modern conventional wisdom or if he'll keep trying to get 6 or 7 innings out of his starters. I don't know what the right answer is with this team.
When you get into a short series, everything becomes situational. Mediocre pitcher may have the profile that gives the opponent fits. Also, there's less incentive to save your players. While I advocate a three man rotation (Ragans. Lugo and Wacha), 4 May also be a good number. The extra arm in the bullpen allows you to go 5 or 6 innings with the starter and turn it over to another quality arm with a different Arsenal and look. Objective is to keep the batter off balance.
IF the Royals can keep it low scoring they improve their chances of winning.
Although the postseason schedule makes it easier to keep the same key arms fresh. In the ALDS this year, there are off days after game one, game two and game four. I know they'll try to keep from overworking Bubic, but I think Q will generally have all options available for the first two series at least, should the Royals get that far. And I think he will let a quality starter go six depending on the matchups and the number of times the lineup has flipped.
Good lord, George's OPS+ in 1980.
This game highlighted my biggest concern about the Royals in the playoffs: their pitching staff does not work well with modern playoff bullpen usage.
Modern conventional wisdom in the playoffs is that you hope to get 4 or 5 innings from your starter before throwing fresh arm after fresh arm at your opponent.
They Royals have about 2.5 relievers you trust to use in an important situation. After adding Lorenzen and Marsh to the mix, maybe make that 3.75? (Yeah, fractional pitchers are not a thing but that's how I'm expressing my lack of confidence in anyone not named Erceg or Bubic.)
I'm curious whether Q will manage following the modern conventional wisdom or if he'll keep trying to get 6 or 7 innings out of his starters. I don't know what the right answer is with this team.
When you get into a short series, everything becomes situational. Mediocre pitcher may have the profile that gives the opponent fits. Also, there's less incentive to save your players. While I advocate a three man rotation (Ragans. Lugo and Wacha), 4 May also be a good number. The extra arm in the bullpen allows you to go 5 or 6 innings with the starter and turn it over to another quality arm with a different Arsenal and look. Objective is to keep the batter off balance.
IF the Royals can keep it low scoring they improve their chances of winning.
Yeah, you kinda just made my point. You need a quality arm to go to. Those are in short supply.
Although the postseason schedule makes it easier to keep the same key arms fresh. In the ALDS this year, there are off days after game one, game two and game four. I know they'll try to keep from overworking Bubic, but I think Q will generally have all options available for the first two series at least, should the Royals get that far. And I think he will let a quality starter go six depending on the matchups and the number of times the lineup has flipped.