Impressions of Roenicke so far (part 1)

[DuWayne Steurer]

If I am remembering correctly; RR has pinch hit for Nieves as soon as Wolf is out (Or will be out) in each of his last 3 appearances. Obviously RR has no confidence in his offensive abilities at all yet still feels he is worth a roster spot.

Or he's just pandering to the #4 pitcher in the rotation, and sabotaging his chances of winning by putting a .360 OPS catcher out there for him. Inmates running the asylum.......never a good idea.

[Oldcity]

Even if he's right in his belief that Braddock should only face lefties... What's so hard about having Hawkins and Braddock up, then bringing in Hawkins after Braddock faces Pena?

[fondybrewfan]

I am trying really hard to get over the tough loss last night but I just can't seem to do it. There was just all kinds of stupid and I just can't stop thinking about. I like RR but for goodness sakes use your freaking brain sometime. Pena was 3-48 against LHP? What motivation could RR possibly have to leave Loe in there especially after seeing what happened in CIN not to long ago? Then you actually pitch to Ramirez when you have a really good DP/K candidate with Soto on deck? And you squeeze on a 3-1 count with the pitcher up.

 

I hope RR is second guessing himself on his multitude of stupid decisions last night but he certainly hasn't made that public. If you aren't going to use Braddock on the 8th inning of a tie game with the go ahead run on base against Pena who is 3-48 against lefties then why the heck is Braddock on the roster?

 

It still isn't Yost intentionally walking Howard with Shouse but man it is right up there.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Even if he's right in his belief that Braddock should only face lefties... What's so hard about having Hawkins and Braddock up, then bringing in Hawkins after Braddock faces Pena?

He's only going to face lefties if there's multiple lefties in a ROW up, and I don't know too many managers that do that. Might as well DFA Braddock, there's no use for him.

 

EDIT: Just for curiosity's sake, I looked up Braddock's career splits. Righties do better against him, but they certainly don't murder him. Granted, it's a small sample (118 PA's), but a .270 BA against, with a .778 OPS against vs. righties (1 HR allowed) isn't the end of the world.

[Funketown]

Is Latroy Hawkins feeling some nagging injury or something? He hasn't pitched since June 7 and he has only thrown 2 innings in June.

[Fear The Chorizo]

I think reporters need to frame questions better to keep managers from wiggling off the hook when they made stupid in-game decisions, and continue to want to keep garbage players on the roster.

 

"Why is Braddock on the roster?"

 

"Why are you carrying 7 pitchers in the bullpen when you don't use all of them?"

 

"Does a reliever who's on pace to lose 15 games in a "hold" role sound like a good option for "the 8th inning guy" on a team that considers itself a contender?"

 

"Why do you not walk the team's cleanup hitter to set up a force out at the plate AND a double play option late in a scoreless game?"

 

"Is Nyjer Morgan injured?"

 

"When is Nieves going to start in a game not pitched by Wolf so Lucroy can get some additional rest?"

 

"Why do you continue to pinch hit for Nieves as soon as Wolf leaves the game? Have the rest of the pitchers currently on the roster chosen Lucroy as their personal catcher?"

 

"How have Gamel, Green, and Kottaras been performing in AAA?"

[brwrsfan]

I thought Braddock could get out right handed hitters too? Wasn't that we keep being told? So his logic is just stupid all around. We had the entire pen available at that point anyway. Face Pena, then take him out.

 

Loe is awful vs LH, Pena is awful vs LHP...go figure.

 

The biggest problem was that RR is too short sighted to see the possibility. Braddock had barely gotten up when Pena came up and probably wasn't ready. He should have been up the entire inning, they knew Pena would PH if anyone got on. Just asinine.

 

His poor decisions all around yesterday cost us a game, not the first time this season either. The 8th inning was one of the most inept things I have seen from a MLB manager in a long time. Terrible.

[reillymcshane]

Positives:

 

He's showing patience with players. I don't like managers who go with the 'hot' player - that gives you Joe Dillon for five straight games, just because he got a couple of hits one day. Of course, this can go to the extreme (which can then lead to a negative, as you'll see below).

 

I think the shifts are kind of interesting. I don't know if they work or not. But it's cool that he's trying to use hitting data to maximize his defense.

 

He is consistent with the players. I think they that respond well to it. But, like sticking with a guy too long, this can be detrimental.

 

The players seem to like him. This is important. It's a long season and strife doesn't help anyone.

 

Negatives:

 

Continuing to keep Nieves on the roster. I realize he might not have a say in this, but it's foolish. The guy can't hit worth anything, and his defense isn't so great either.

 

Continuing to use Kotsay. This is huge. I can maybe see having the guy as a pinch hitter, but starting him in CF over Plush or Gomez? This is just terrible. Kotsay is a bad fielder and he's nothing more than a singles hitter. That he's had well over 100 ABs is pathetic.

 

His refusal to move McGehee out of the 5th spot. Come on - it's almost 70 games into the season. At this point, it's time to adjust. I'm not talking about benching McGehee just yet, but moving him in the order makes too much sense.

 

Continuing to trot out Betencourt. Again, his hands may be tied on the roster, but Yuni's shown nothing to help the team, yet he keeps heading out there. The guy can't field very good, and he isn't hitting. He saw total 5 pitches on Sunday. 8 last night. This guy is terrible. We're 40% into the season -- it's time to stop the madness and try something different.

 

His locking in of pitching 'roles' - and his rigid following of those roles - is hurting us. He keeps sending out Kameron Loe just because 'he's our 8th inning guy'. Great. That's gotten us home runs from Joey Votto, who owns Loe. That gets Loe put out there for three straight days. I can appreciate the 'role' concept, but you can't let 'roles' dictate common sense. Plus, in the case of Loe, he's just not that good! The guys has lost six games. He's on pace to lose 15 games. I realize there's a lot of luck in wins and loses, but this borders on ridiculous.

 

Some bizarre in game decisions. Such as last night's game versus the Cubs when he pitched Loe for the 3rd straight day. We had a left handed batter hitting sub .100 against lefties, yet Loe was kept in the game instead of bringing in Braddock. And the suicide squeeze with the pitcher? That was plain foolish. I can't even describe how bizarre the decision was.

 

On the whole, I'm not particularly impressed. I feel like RRR has gotten into his head to 'overmanage' in certain situations. His unwillingness to look beyond 'roles' of players or make changes when a player isn't doing his job, is frustrating (to his credit, he has worked Morgan into a semi-regular role, so it's not that it isn't happening).

 

I honestly don't think a manager is that important. So I'm not losing sleep over the guy. I think managing to keep the clubhouse positive is great. I can't explain the continued use of Kotsay. That's just pathetic. And I'm just dumbfounded at some of the choices he's made during games. It reeks of overmanaging.

[trwi7]

Roenicke somehow thought Loe was the best option pitching three days in a row over these options.

 

Hawkins - last pitched June 7th

Braddock - last pitched June 8th

Dillard - last pitched June 10th

Estrada - last pitched June 9th

Mitre - last pitched June 9th

 

Seriously, if you're not going to use these guys just option them/DFA them and get some bats like Green and Gamel up here.

[Raw Biz]

Positives:

 

He's showing patience with players. I don't like managers who go with the 'hot' player - that gives you Joe Dillon for five straight games, just because he got a couple of hits one day. Of course, this can go to the extreme (which can then lead to a negative, as you'll see below).

I'd argue that he's actually done this a few times (except with Morgan at the beginning of the year). Kotsay had that game in SF where he hit a double or two and then started like 4 games in CF in the next week. Then he had a couple hits Sunday and started again last night. He's also done it a couple of times with Counsell, including this past weekend. I don't know if 2 or 3 games in a row counts but it does seem like he thinks one good game from a bench player not named Morgan/Plush warrants a few more starts in a row.

[rluzinski]

I know it was mentioned, but not intentionally walking Ramirez to load the bases in the 8th was also a dumb move.

 

Has RR had a half inning with more of his incompetence on display than that one?

Because a walk can then score a run, I don't think the IBB is necessarily the right call there. Hard to say without taking a closer look but it's not a no brainer.

[reillymcshane]

Positives:

 

He's showing patience with players. I don't like managers who go with the 'hot' player - that gives you Joe Dillon for five straight games, just because he got a couple of hits one day. Of course, this can go to the extreme (which can then lead to a negative, as you'll see below).

I'd argue that he's actually done this a few times (except with Morgan at the beginning of the year). Kotsay had that game in SF where he hit a double or two and then started like 4 games in CF in the next week. Then he had a couple hits Sunday and started again last night. He's also done it a couple of times with Counsell, including this past weekend. I don't know if 2 or 3 games in a row counts but it does seem like he thinks one good game from a bench player not named Morgan/Plush warrants a few more starts in a row.

I'm not sure if this is just his Kotsay man-crush that RRR has. Kotsay could probably hit a bloop single and he'd get several starts in the OF because he's 'hot' or he's a 'veteran'. I just don't get the Kotsay love. Especially when there are other options.

[Pack Attack]

Positives:

 

He's showing patience with players. I don't like managers who go with the 'hot' player - that gives you Joe Dillon for five straight games, just because he got a couple of hits one day. Of course, this can go to the extreme (which can then lead to a negative, as you'll see below).

 

I think the shifts are kind of interesting. I don't know if they work or not. But it's cool that he's trying to use hitting data to maximize his defense.

 

He is consistent with the players. I think they that respond well to it. But, like sticking with a guy too long, this can be detrimental.

 

The players seem to like him. This is important. It's a long season and strife doesn't help anyone.

 

Negatives:

 

Continuing to keep Nieves on the roster. I realize he might not have a say in this, but it's foolish. The guy can't hit worth anything, and his defense isn't so great either. - Absolutely unbelievable. The guy is hitting under .140 with ZERO RBI's for the year. He doesn't belong in MLB anymore. Kottaras is tearing up AAA and has caught Wolf before. Would be nice to have a LH with some power on the bench also.

 

Continuing to use Kotsay. This is huge. I can maybe see having the guy as a pinch hitter, but starting him in CF over Plush or Gomez? This is just terrible. Kotsay is a bad fielder and he's nothing more than a singles hitter. That he's had well over 100 ABs is pathetic. This one was a headscratcher last night.

 

His refusal to move McGehee out of the 5th spot. Come on - it's almost 70 games into the season. At this point, it's time to adjust. I'm not talking about benching McGehee just yet, but moving him in the order makes too much sense. This is by far my biggest complaint of RR so far. Just inexcusable. Teams are just going to start walking Prince to face McGehee. Happened twice last night. Hart needs to be hitting 5.

 

Continuing to trot out Betencourt. Again, his hands may be tied on the roster, but Yuni's shown nothing to help the team, yet he keeps heading out there. The guy can't field very good, and he isn't hitting. He saw total 5 pitches on Sunday. 8 last night. This guy is terrible. We're 40% into the season -- it's time to stop the madness and try something different. This one's on Melvin. They really don't have any other options at SS right now. Council is not an every day player and AAA is bear.

 

His locking in of pitching 'roles' - and his rigid following of those roles - is hurting us. He keeps sending out Kameron Loe just because 'he's our 8th inning guy'. Great. That's gotten us home runs from Joey Votto, who owns Loe. That gets Loe put out there for three straight days. I can appreciate the 'role' concept, but you can't let 'roles' dictate common sense. Plus, in the case of Loe, he's just not that good! The guys has lost six games. He's on pace to lose 15 games. I realize there's a lot of luck in wins and loses, but this borders on ridiculous. Kameron Loe IS NOT an 8th inning guy PERIOD!

 

Some bizarre in game decisions. Such as last night's game versus the Cubs when he pitched Loe for the 3rd straight day. We had a left handed batter hitting sub .100 against lefties, yet Loe was kept in the game instead of bringing in Braddock. And the suicide squeeze with the pitcher? That was plain foolish. I can't even describe how bizarre the decision was.

 

On the whole, I'm not particularly impressed. I feel like RRR has gotten into his head to 'overmanage' in certain situations. His unwillingness to look beyond 'roles' of players or make changes when a player isn't doing his job, is frustrating (to his credit, he has worked Morgan into a semi-regular role, so it's not that it isn't happening).

 

I honestly don't think a manager is that important. So I'm not losing sleep over the guy. I think managing to keep the clubhouse positive is great. I can't explain the continued use of Kotsay. That's just pathetic. And I'm just dumbfounded at some of the choices he's made during games. It reeks of overmanaging.

 

Problem might be he is a players manager. They all love him. He doesn't want to hurt anyone's feeling. That just wont work.

 

[MJLiverock]

LaRussa can certainly be a douchebag and it can drag games on as he continually changes pitchers later in games bases on matchups, but it would be extremely likely that in that situation, he'd have had Braddock already warmed up and ready to go once Pena was announced, and then he'd have put in Braddock. Unless his pen was on fumes, i can't imagine that he'd have let Pena face Loe given how Loe struggles more vs lefties and Pena struggles so badly vs lefties. Then Dillard could have been brought in to face Ramirez if Braddock vs him wasn't deemed a good matchup. It's not like the pen has been overused of late, everyone in that pen besides Loe/Axford was plenty rested.

You mean like Sunday when LaRussa left a pretty gassed looking Westbrook in to face Fielder who promptly deposited it in the bleachers to take the lead? Cardinal fans were complaining about old "one hitter too many" LaRussa after that one. The "one hitter too many" was used on Cardinal boards to describe LaRussa. The Cardinal fan next to me in the stands looked right at me and said, "I can't believe LaRussa leaving this guy in to face Fielder, he's gonna hit the scoreboard off him." I guess that guy should be the manager over that idiot LaRussa.

 

The hindsight complaints about bullpen usage are pretty common, everyone thinks their manager is an idiot whenever the bullpen doesn't work.

 

I don't think anyone is ever happy with the manager. There are always going to be a call here or there that gets questioned because not everything works and not everything is as easy right/wrong as some make it out. I knew the squeeze play would set some off as some sort of validation that the squeeze is terrible, of course they still tried to justify hating it when it worked the previous 3 times. Or using a useless stat like "on average a runner on third scores x%" when said stat doesn't take into account, hitter, pitcher, match ups at all.

 

As much as fans would like the game to play out like a video game where players are never sick, in a slump, having a bad day, tired, worried about whatever, and always play out to their modeled stats it just doesn't work that way. I couldn't believe Kotsay started at CF on Sunday but sure enough he had 2 hits including a key double in the 6th. RR then put Gomez in for defense in the 9th and he made a good catch. People wanted Morgan, but maybe he didn't feel well, maybe he just needed the day off, or maybe RR as manager just made the right call by playing Kotsay and then getting him out of there for Gomez in the 9th for D. Managers have to work with what they are given and try to get the most from those players by putting them in position to succeed. I'd say he did that with Kotsay on Sunday. Manager have more information about a player than is contained in a model or spreadsheet. If player X is slow with his bat all day they can see it, or the 3B is limping a bit, or is known to have trouble fieldinig a bunt, or the pitcher is coming off the mound funny, all of which can affect the decison to bunt, hit and run, PH, IBB.

 

Back a few weeks when Kotsay started over Hart the game thread was non stop bashing, name calling, and arm chair managing then it came out that Hart was sick. Ooops, the manager actually has more information about the players than everyone at home when filling out the lineup.

 

The complaints about LuCroy not playing everyday get ridiculous as well, he just isn't going to play everyday so setting him up with every 5th day off gives him a routine, makes Wolf happy, seems smart enough, certainly not the dumbest decision ever as some make it out. I had to laugh as well yesterday that someone complained that LuCroy was used as a PH since he shouldn't be used so much. So RR gets bashed for giving LuCroy the day off every 5 days and using LuCroy too much all in the same game. At least RR will PH for his catcher or use his back up catcher late in a game. Nieves is on the roster, that may be DM's choice more than anything, but it wasn't like GK was loved when up, every passed ball or bad throw was, "ugh why is this guy around, we need a defensvie back up, RR is an idiot."

 

I remember the complaints about not hitting LuCroy 2nd because he was supposedly the 3rd or 4th best hitter on the team according to some posts. Now after his hot start, his last month is Gomezesque, similar to last year, but hey if he is worshipped by a few posters it's alright that his hitting line is nothing special.

 

Betancourt is sitting more but seriously it isn't like Counsell or Wilson are world beaters. When Wilson was signed it was panned as why this guy, but 2 HR's later he should suddenly be playing everyday? Or Counsell's awesome batting should be there every day? When the options are all bad I can't see getting all worked up because he played player X and it is the dumbest thing ever.

 

Bad baserunning by McGehee, Gomez, and LuCroy early in the year was somehow RR's fault.

 

I think people are just looking for things to complain about and blowing up every decison they disagree with as some affront to common sense when it really isn't that big of deal because those same complainers refuse to give credit when decisions they disagree with work out. It's a long season and there are going to be decsions made that some agree with or disagree with including for reasons beyond the back of the baseball card or aggregate SABR stats.

 

 

 

[xisxisxis]

Ron S.O. Roenicke makes Dusty Baker seem like a genius.

 

 

My estimate is that baseball is 90% player talent/performance 5% manager talent/performance and 5% intangibles/luck. So ultimately the vast majority of success is determined by the players. You can argue the exact numbers, but the fact is that player talent is clearly the vast majority of the key to determining team success. However, over a 162 game schedule that 5% the manager contributes is significant in putting a talented team into a position to make the playoffs. last time the Brewers made the playoffs it was a 1 game difference. to simply ignore the impact of stupid decisions by the manager is a recipe for failure.

[bjkrautk]

My big issues:

 

1) Continuing to pitch Kameron Loe like the Angels used to Scot Shields doesn't mean they'll get that kind of performance out of him. (This is mitigated slightly by knowing it's supposed to be Saito in that role, but I don't think he could take the workload any better than Loe has.) I don't even mind semi-regimented roles for your bullpen, but balance out some of the wear-and-tear. The upside to the starters working into (and through) the seventh inning is that you should have a fresher bullpen than most teams....yet we keep on trotting out the same guy. I'd rather see Loe as the guy you bring in mid-inning when you need to induce a ground ball (like Coffey had been used in prior years) than the designated '8th inning guy.'

 

2) If Casey McGehee isn't hitting, and both Hart and LuCroy are....one of them should be in the #5 spot in the order.

 

3) Kotsay in cf hasn't hurt us (yet), but he's playing too often for my liking. (Nieves should probably be in AAA right now.)

 

 

Baserunning doesn't really bother me, nor does the defensive alignments.

[Raw Biz]

There are always going to be a call here or there that gets questioned because not everything works and not everything is as easy right/wrong as some make it out. I knew the squeeze play would set some off as some sort of validation that the squeeze is terrible, of course they still tried to justify hating it when it worked the previous 3 times.

I said it was a stupid decision regardless of whether it worked or not. I also said the other times we've done it this season were stupid as well. The only one I actually liked was Lucroy's walk-off. I just think more often than not, the squeeze is a dumb play because it's all-or-nothing.

I couldn't believe Kotsay started at CF on Sunday but sure enough he had 2 hits including a key double in the 6th.

Just because he had a couple of hits doesn't mean it was smart to start him. What about all the other games he starts where he goes 0-4 (like yesterday's game)? More often than not, Kotsay will have a bad game offensively. His stats show it. He will also play terrible defense in CF. So yes, it is dumb to start him.

Manager have more information about a player than is contained in a model or spreadsheet. If player X is slow with his bat all day they can see it, or the 3B is limping a bit, or is known to have trouble fieldinig a bunt, or the pitcher is coming off the mound funny, all of which can affect the decison to bunt, hit and run, PH, IBB. Back a few weeks when Kotsay started over Hart the game thread was non stop bashing, name calling, and arm chair managing then it came out that Hart was sick. Ooops, the manager actually has more information about the players than everyone at home when filling out the lineup.

If that was the case, then Roenicke should come out and say why the normal starter didn't get the start. There's only one time that's happened this year that I remember and that was when Hart was sick. More often than not, Roenicke's reasoning is because some guy has had "success" in the past against a pitcher. That "success" is something like Kotsay's 3-10 against Dempster.

The complaints about LuCroy not playing everyday get ridiculous as well, he just isn't going to play everyday so setting him up with every 5th day off gives him a routine, makes Wolf happy, seems smart enough, certainly not the dumbest decision ever as some make it out. I had to laugh as well yesterday that someone complained that LuCroy was used as a PH since he shouldn't be used so much. So RR gets bashed for giving LuCroy the day off every 5 days and using LuCroy too much all in the same game.

The complaints aren't about Lucroy getting a day off. Everyone realizes he needs time off. The complaints are who is starting when he gets days off. Nieves should not be on the team and I would put that at 75% Roenicke, 25% Melvin. And yes, Lucroy pinch-hitting when he's supposed to get a day off are probably affecting him. He is basically getting 6 innings off a week. If we had a competent backup catcher, he could get be getting more time off which I think would be more beneficial.

Bad baserunning by McGehee, Gomez, and Lucroy early in the year was somehow RR's fault.

I don't think anyone was saying it was all his fault but he was the one preaching a more aggressive running style. He also was probably the one calling the contact play at home every time. So yes, part of the blame went to him, part went to Sedar, and part went to the players.

[Funketown]

I don't have a problem if Lucroy has to pinch hit on his days off, it's playing catcher for multiple innings on his days off that cannot be good for him in the long run.

[Pack Attack]

Roenicke invites second-guessing

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel

June 13, 2011

 

 

Chicago - Manager Ron Roenicke's bullpen decision --

and non-decision -- in the eighth inning of the Brewers' 1-0 loss

Monday night to the Cubs left him open to second-guessing, which he

admitted afterward.

With the score 0-0, Roenicke summoned setup man Kameron Loe to pitch

the eighth inning for the third consecutive day though there were other

options in Marco Estrada, Tim Dillard and LaTroy Hawkins.

“It’s not a tough call,” said Roenicke. “Not if (Loe) can go, it’s

not a tough call. He’s our eighth inning guy and in tie ball games he

goes the eighth and ‘Ax’ (John Axford) will follow him.”

Roenicke knew Cubs manager Mike Quade had left-handed-hitting Carlos

Pena on the bench if the right situation arose, and it did after Darwin

Barney singled with one out. Pena batted for Jeff Baker and smacked an

opposite-field double off the wall in left, just beyond the reach of

Ryan Braun.

That blow set the stage for Barney to beat Rickie Weeks’ throw home

on Aramis Ramirez’s grounder up the middle for the only run despite the

infield playing in.

Pena is batting .063 (3 for 48) against left-handed pitchers yet

Roenicke saw no reason to summon Zach Braddock, who was quickly trying

to get ready. Afterward, Roenicke admitted that Pena presented a tough

match-up for Loe, a sinkerball pitcher.

Pena is a good low-ball hitter,” said Roenicke. “That plays into the

way ‘Kam’ throws. The match-up isn’t ideal but I like the way ‘Kam’ is

throwing the ball.”

Roenicke said if he would have summoned Braddock, he would have had

to face the right-handed hitters who followed, Aramis Ramirez and

Geovany Soto. But there's an easy way around that. You let Braddock face

Pena, then you bring in one of the aforementioned right-handers to take

over from there. No big deal.

I think the real problem was that Braddock wasn't ready to face Pena.

As usual when he summons Loe to pitch the eighth, Roenicke diidn't have

another reliever up in the pen. Braddock got up after the inning

started but I don't think he was ready when Pena entered the game, yet

the Brewers had to know Pena might be used there.

It's all more than a bit puzzling. Roenicke admits Pena poses a

match-up problem for Loe. He knows Pena is 3 for 48 against lefties, yet

he lets Loe face him in a 0-0 game in the eighth inning.

You can't help but second-guess it.

 

 

 

(offset quoted material; added link to cite source --1992)

[benji]

My biggest problem with RRR is the rigidity of 8th/Loe and 9th/Axford. I think Macha was real good about using the bullpen especially when he had Axford get 4 out saves. That Loe homer to Votto was inexcusable and should not have happened. Axford should have been brought in the 8th. I think Loe can be a great asset to this team if used correctly. More of a 6/7 inning when you really need a ground ball. Hopefully Saito will be the main setup guy when healthy.

[Funketown]

Is Roenicke worse than Yost? I mean, he hasn't done the Brian Shouse/Ryan Howard type move yet, but at this point I think his day to day management is worse. Yost was not a good manager, but Roenicke is just horrendous.

[PKBadger]

In what world does Marco Estrada profile as a setup guy? Ahead of Hawkins, Braddock...even Dillard?

 

WANT TO SMASH.

[Raw Biz]

Fire Roenicke, promote Sveum. We got to the playoffs once already with that strategy. Or maybe Counsell could be a player/manager. Or maybe the kid who played Billy Heywood from Little Big League is available. Seriously, anybody but Roenicke would be fine with me at this point.

[Funketown]

Here's another thing I don't understand. Shouldn't an old-school manager love a grizzled, classy veteran who has a 0.55 ERA in 16.1 innings this year? I mean, what the heck is Roenicke evaluating pitchers based on? It's obviously not SABR stats, and it doesn't seem to be an old school ERA approach either. Shoe size? Height? I'm really curious.

[brwrsfan]

Let's see...Estrada has gotten shelled recently. We have a three run lead, eight inning, guys like Hawkins and Braddock are supposed to be setup guys. Both are well rested. Let's put in Estrada and watch him give up 3 runs in 6 pitches. AWESOME.

 

This is yet another game I put squarely on the shoulders of our incompetent manager.