2012 MLB Wild Card and LDS Game Thread

[HUGG]

Their performance in the playoffs had zero to do with their decision and evaluating it that way is short-sighted and playing the result.

[Blackout Pact]

I'm quite excited to actually stay at home tonight and watch some baseball.

[Ramp]

Their performance in the playoffs had zero to do with their decision and evaluating it that way is short-sighted and playing the result.

...that being said, I think it was a massive mistake to shut him down

(but I think you agree with me)

[Todd]

They wouldnt have had to rely on someone as inconsistent as Edwin Jackson(who got thumped by this same Cardinals team 2 or 3 weeks ago) to start a playoff game. Would this resulted in a win? No one can say. But it would have given them a much better chance.

[AdamRavs]

Edwin Jackson still would of started @ some point in this series. However Strasburg starting game 2 they might be up 2-0 going home. Instead now they are facing elimination. I hate the Cardinals with a passion but seeing the Nats get bumped with be sweeter.

[Valid]

The Cardinals are probably going back to the WS.

[AdamRavs]

If the Giants can win today they will get to the WS. I like their pitching in a 7 game series against the Cards.

[Mainge]

...that being said, I think it was a massive mistake to shut him down

(but I think you agree with me)

I like the idea of limiting his innings but couldn't they have managed his workload better?

Don't see why he couldn't have gotten a late start. Send him to EST in April, and let him get started in mid-May or something.

[Bobbob1313]

They did not think they were going to make the playoffs this season. If we're going to do this with Strasburg and criticize them, shouldn't we criticize them for doing the same thing with Zimmerman last year? Otherwise aren't we just playing the result?

[Mainge]

They did not think they were going to make the playoffs this season. If we're going to do this with Strasburg and criticize them, shouldn't we criticize them for doing the same thing with Zimmerman last year? Otherwise aren't we just playing the result?

Yes.
--------------------
But when you're missing one of the best pitchers in baseball for the entirety of the postseason by your own hand, I don't think the criticism is unfair

[Ramp]

They did not think they were going to make the playoffs this season. If we're going to do this with Strasburg and criticize them, shouldn't we criticize them for doing the same thing with Zimmerman last year? Otherwise aren't we just playing the result?

But by June of this year, they knew they had a real chance at the playoffs. So even then they could have started to take it easy with him, no?

[Bobbob1313]

In what way?

I mean, you could have him skip a handful of starts. But he had five turns left in the rotation in the regular season when he was shut down and then one more at this point. Would you have him pitch every 10 days from July on?

To keep him on this innings limit and get him just to this point (not even counting the fact that they would then want him in the CS and WS if they make it), you're talking about finding an extra 8-9 starts through the course of the year. I just don't see how that would be feasible, without shutting him down and then bringing him back, which brings a ton of risks itself.

The only possible argument I could see would be moving him to the bullpen for a month and then bringing him back, but you're still running many of the same risks that shutting him down completely does.

[Todd]

A hard innings limit was fairly asinine to begin with. A pitchcount limit per start would have been much more logical. Would have allowed him to make all starts and be active on the postseason argument.

[Bobbob1313]

You like stating things without actually offering an explanation.

[Todd]

Its pretty self explanatory. Having an innings limit is pretty arbitrary if you dont monitor the # of pitches he threw per start. If he had a hard limit of say, 85 to 90 pitches(which he met or went over in 20 of his 28 starts), that would have been a much better check on how much he was used and still left him available for the eventual playoff run.