43 replies to this topic

[85Knight]

The resurgence of Irvin and Perez have definitely bolstered the pitching staff. I was looking at possibly bringing up Means and Hall to help out but that might not be necessary. They have the next 10 days to figure this all out and the more options the better.

[BSLSteveBirrer]

The resurgence of Irvin and Perez have definitely bolstered the pitching staff. I was looking at possibly bringing up Means and Hall to help out but that might not be necessary. They have the next 10 days to figure this all out and the more options the better.

They still need to replace Fuji. And Gibson needs a big turnaround too.

[BSLLukeRollfinke]

I don't think it matters much for this group how you set it up.  Overall, I don't think you're trying to align any guy with a turn.  The rotation is what it is and you'll more or less align with the normal rest/work.

 

Gibson.  I don't see Gibson making the Playoff roster at this point.  Playoffs tend to be a reliever heavy affair and you aren't letting a guy grind out some innings into the 5th or 6th because you protect the bullpen.  His usefulness goes down and you'd rather have another RP that's well adjusted to that role.  He still gets a Ring.

 

GRod.  I know what they say about innings and we're in 6-man right now to back out a start for each guy down the stretch, but I don't think you can plan to use him twice in a series.  He's at 122 IP right now and 6-7 more starts is another 40-50 innings so you're kind of maxed out.  I wouldn't have him in the first series and (if everything is cool) he can get the Game4/5 starter in the ALDS and WS...that would still put him over 170 this year.  We talked about this months ago...you always get here. <<smh>>

 

So however Bradish, Kremer, Flaherty and Irvin (maybe swapping out in some tandem option depending on the team) line up for the first series is fine.  I wouldn't push anyone into 3-days rest.

 

Whoever is on the bump, show up.

If it really came down to it, I feel like I'd rather keep GRod on the sideline during September so he can throw in October. Not sure you can afford to take him out the rotation for an entire series. I could handle Bradish, Flaherty, and Kremer as a three-man for the wild card, but Irvin against an elite lineup scares me. I also think it needs to be considered that Bradish and Kremer have similar inning caps as Grayson. All of them have approximately the same previous maximums, give or take 10-15 innings. It's not like Grayson is on a completely different level than either of the others.

[BSLLukeRollfinke]

They still need to replace Fuji. And Gibson needs a big turnaround too.

 

At this point I highly doubt Fuji makes the playoff roster. Agree that we will need Gibson to come out the bullpen and pitch some big innings in the fifth or sixth of a playoff series. 

 

I am really interested to see what they do with the lefties because you have to pick some combination of Vespi, Coulombe, Perez, Irvin, Means, and Hall. To me, Coulombe and Perez are locks and the rest is up in the air. Probably only one more spot for those four guys but could be two depending on what happens with Webb, Baker, Baumann, etc. down the stretch.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

A ways to go but yes hard to have Fuji on the postseason roster as of today

[dude]

I also think it needs to be considered that Bradish and Kremer have similar inning caps as Grayson. All of them have approximately the same previous maximums, give or take 10-15 innings. It's not like Grayson is on a completely different level than either of the others.

 

Age makes a big difference for me.  Bradish and Kremer are 26 and 27, Grayson 23.  Once you're over 25, I worry less about that stuff.  There's maturation of your body that's going to have an impact based on the things you do to it.  

 

Less concerned about GRod after this season.  Another off-season working out, another year of physical maturity, separation from all of the back-and-forth of debut BS....but I think this season is still an important transition year.

[85Knight]

Age makes a big difference for me. Bradish and Kremer are 26 and 27, Grayson 23. Once you're over 25, I worry less about that stuff. There's maturation of your body that's going to have an impact based on the things you do to it.

Less concerned about GRod after this season. Another off-season working out, another year of physical maturity, separation from all of the back-and-forth of debut BS....but I think this season is still an important transition year.

It should be a concern but there is nothing definitive that says how long they can pitch this season. The team is doing the right thing with the 6 man rotation but all they can really do is watch the players closely on a case by case basis.

It's nice to have to worry about October.

[dude]

It should be a concern but there is nothing definitive that says how long they can pitch this season. The team is doing the right thing with the 6 man rotation but all they can really do is watch the players closely on a case by case basis.

 

I look at guys like Kerry Wood and Matt Harvey and Strasburg...and I just wouldn't push the edges.  We absolutely do not know anything for sure.  There's no reasons not to take a measured approach.

 

It comes to this thread and my earlier comments.  You haven't already fixed this issue, so now you have to have a plan that addresses it....because if you're wrong and there's some consequence, you can't go back and undo it.

 

It's nice to have to worry about October.

 

We should all agree to this.

[85Knight]

I am comfortable with a rotation of Bradish, Grayson and Kremer but the question is do we need a 4th starter. I'm not comfortable with any of our current options being that 4th guy in the playoffs. This is why I'd gamble and put Means in the bullpen for a few weeks with the hope that he could start a couple of games in October. A few bullpen appearances to get used to major league hitting and a couple of starts down the stretch. I know it's a gamble but I don't see any more options if we need 4 starters to win it all.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

If Flaherty has a good Sept he will be in the postseason rotation. I worry about his situation though. The whole general soreness missed start seemed ominous to me.

[You Play to Win the Game]

If Flaherty has a good Sept he will be in the postseason rotation. I worry about his situation though. The whole general soreness missed start seemed ominous to me.

Didn’t love how inconsistent his velocity has been of late. Sort of a red flag.

[BobPhelan]

Didn’t love how inconsistent his velocity has been of late. Sort of a red flag.

Story of his life (last few seasons).

[BSLSteveBirrer]

September can certainly change things. But today it would have to be Bradish, GRod, and Kremer. IF I needed a 4th starter I'd have to look at the matchup and decide between Irvin and Flaherty (although I too think his issue may be more than we think). Gibson is out for me right now. The frequency of his blow up starts is too high.

 

Sure would be awesome if Means could get back out there soon to see if he can be of any help.

[mweb08]

Kremer somewhat reminds me of Tillman. He doesn't have the greatest stuff or garner a great deal of confidence, but he's very dependable and outperforms expectations.

He and Grayson have joined Bradish in the rotation circle of trust. The 4th spot is very tricky though at the moment.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Kremer somewhat reminds me of Tillman. He doesn't have the greatest stuff or garner a great deal of confidence, but he's very dependable and outperforms expectations.

 

I certainly get the comp.  Definitely agree to a degree. 

 

Tillman came up in the minors being touted as a guy that regularly hit 95, but didn't really see that in the Majors.
He was always working in that 91-92 range. 
What he did have was a high release point which made his fb play up. 
I thought Tillman was generally underrated for his dependability. 

 

Kremer is similar in that regard. 
I think his stuff is a bit better than advertised. 

His fb is averaging 94.7.  He often can jump to 97 or so when he wants to. 
His curve spin is in the 84th percentile. 

[Slidemaster]

Kremer somewhat reminds me of Tillman. He doesn't have the greatest stuff or garner a great deal of confidence, but he's very dependable and outperforms expectations.

He and Grayson have joined Bradish in the rotation circle of trust. The 4th spot is very tricky though at the moment.

Considering we had borderline one guy in the circle of trust going into this year, 3 guys there is a massive improvement.

[NewMarketSean]

Bradish, Grayson, Kremer, Irvin, Flaherty, Gibson

[Mackus]

Would we go with 4 starters for the Divisional Series or consider going with only 3 which means starting the Game 1 starter on 3-days rest in Game 4? With off days after games 2 & 4, should be able to have Game 2 starter on normal rest if Game 5 needed.

Short leashes in the postseason, so 5-6 innings max, may make short rest more manageable. I'd consider it.

[BSLSteveBirrer]

Would we go with 4 starters for the Divisional Series or consider going with only 3 which means starting the Game 1 starter on 3-days rest in Game 4? With off days after games 2 & 4, should be able to have Game 2 starter on normal rest if Game 5 needed.

Short leashes in the postseason, so 5-6 innings max, may make short rest more manageable. I'd consider it.

Of course it depends a bit on how the Game 1 starter faired but absolutely my plan going in would be a 3 man rotation. A pretty big drop off in performance down to whomever you wanted for #4.

[Mackus]

Of course it depends a bit on how the Game 1 starter faired but absolutely my plan going in would be a 3 man rotation. A pretty big drop off in performance down to whomever you wanted for #4.

Only problem with the wait-and-see approach is you have to set the roster before the series. If you're gonna roster a potential 4th starter and use him in the bullpen unless game 1 proves you'll want him to start Game 4, then that's fine. I could see using Irvin or Flaherty that way, not really Gibson. Maybe Means depending on how built up his stamina is.