April showers bring May flowers, translated into baseball-ese - April games create May teams. In April the teams are looking at a season that stretches 162 games through the hottest months of the year. The boys of summer thrive in the heat. April is the month that the cobwebs are dusted off and teams begin to gel.
May isn't necessarily the month that the baseball fan looks at and says oh my it's almost over, however, it is the beginning of the first full month of baseball. We have now played more than 20 games. Bullpens and starting pitchers are beginning to feel their groove, or not.
Cobwebs of note are in the pitching staff. The St Louis Cardinals have the best starting pitching record in all of baseball, and the worst bullpen record. How does this happen, and why is the bullpen so important?
The game has evolved to the point that the pitching position is highly specialized. A starting pitcher is the most versatile. He is expected to pitch deep into the game. He doesn't receive credit for the win unless he pitches a solid six innings and allows no more than three runs. The well stocked team will have a five man starting pitching rotation. A starting pitcher is generally pulled out of the game once he hits 100 pitches. The number of innings he pitches is directly related to his ability to get the batters out in three or fewer pitches. Pitch count has become so important that it is now shown on the score board along with the speed of the pitch.
In an ideal situation, the starting pitcher will leave the game after pitching in the 7th. At this point the bullpen steps in and tries to either save or win a game. The bullpen is filled with specialty pitchers. Each man with a different role. Some will only face one batter a game, others are there to work in the event that an extended innings pitcher is needed. The most important man in the bullpen is the closer.
The closer is equally as important as the starting pitcher. The difference is that he may have to play the majority of the games. He is used exclusively in the 9th inning of a close game. He will generally have one incredible pitch and one that he uses as a decoy. One of the best ever closers was Tug McGraw. The Philadelphia Phillies pitching staff knew that if they were within one run of winning going into the ninth inning, McGraw would save the game. Or if they were at home, he would get them into the bottom of the ninth with a chance for the offense to win it. They were almost unbeatable with McGraw on the mound.
In the case of the St Louis Cardinals this season, in April, their closer suffered a season ending injury during the first week of April. The man that replaced him, was unable to get the job done. Every time the Cardinals went to the bullpen in a close game, they lost. Almost losing a couple of games where they had a five run or more lead with the bullpen took over.
If your bullpen cannot be trusted to save a game, the result is working the starting pitcher more innings. This is not a good idea for the long run. You may win the game, but remember, their are 162 games in the regular season or 30 plus games per starter. If your starters have to pitch nine innings the majority of the time, by the All Star break they will be worn out. This could result in a disastrous second half. Tired arms are more susceptible to injuries. Losing the starting pitchers, even one of them, could cost the team a shot at the play-offs.
In the case of the Cardinals. Two of the pitchers from the bullpen were optioned to the AAA Memphis team and replaced by two rookies. This message was heard in the bullpen and the response was a six game winning streak and St Louis in first place in the NL Central.
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