Bullpen 2007 vs bullpen 2008

[logan82]

Our bullpen has been better overall this year than last year. I am actually wondering if our bullpen is better this year than last year. In my opinion I don't think we have much better guys in our pen than we did last year. The results are better, but I think that has more to do with fewer innings going to middle relief and back end of the bullpen guys then we had last year.

[razzzorsharp]

The pen is not as bad as people tend to think. People will always remember the game that Riske blew or the game(s) that Gagne blew but tend to forget about the many times that Torres has come through. You are right though that maybe the talent isn't as good (I don't really know) but the fact that the Brewers starters are going deep day in and day out does help.

[Ennder]

This year as RP before tonights game.

 

368.1 IP, .724 OPS against, 3.96 ERA, 7.4 K/9, 4.13 BB/9.

 

Last year as RP 511.1 IP, .713 OPS against, 4.24 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 3.52 BB/9.

 

Granted those aren't all the stats we can get to compare things but it is hard to find just as RP stats and I didn't try all that hard. I'd say that in 2007 our bullpen was probably better than this year overall or at least pretty equal, we just had a bit better luck/defense this year. Bullpen stats are very high variance year to year which is why bullpen arms are considered so unreliable outside the top guys.

[dadofandrew]

ESPN shows as 3.89 ERA before tonight, though the 724 OPS is the same.

[Ennder]

I used baseballreference, no clue why it is different. Close enough it could just be a scoring adjustment throwing it off somewhere.

[Jay Zahn]

Various factors:

• They've pitched less.
• They've pitched slightly better.
• The starters have been better, pitched longer, and had less of a tendency to blow up in the 6th or 7th.
• No head cases out there who have no chance to work out of a jam. The occasional blowup, but sometimes they work out of jams too. Never seemed to happen last year.
• Some of the blowups (Toronto, opening day) have happened in games they managed to win anyway.

Big stat to look at is number of losses by relief pitchers. Last year was 32, which is bad. Cardinals relievers had a record of 30-12, which is ungodly. This year the Crew has only 18 relief losses, which is one off the league lead. Cardinals at 26.

[logan82]

This year as RP before tonights game.

 

368.1 IP, .724 OPS against, 3.96 ERA, 7.4 K/9, 4.13 BB/9.

 

Last year as RP 511.1 IP, .713 OPS against, 4.24 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 3.52 BB/9.

I honestly thought that with fewer innings going to the dregs of the pen that the stats from this year would look much better than last year. Higher OPS, lower K rate, higher BB rate, I have to agree that we have been luckier this year.

[rluzinski]

I think the Brewers' bullpen is easily as bad as last year's.

[True CryM]

The starting pitching is vastly improved from last year. I'd say that this squad is slightly better, but hasn't been exposed as much.