2018-04-25: Brewers (Chacín) at Royals (Hammel) 7:15 PM CDT [Brewers win, 6-2]

[ThisIsMyCrew]

Chacin looked gassed. Can’t blow these leads.

[timpep]

I also disagree with removing chacin.

[topper09er]

Looks like the Cubs allowed a run to score from first on a bunt, heading into the 9th down by 3 now

[adambr2]

Because that's the design of our team. We have an awesome bullpen that is designed to take the last few innings of every game. Whether it works out or not, that is the strategy and has been all year. These early hooks aren't coincidence. We are going to lean heavily on the strength of this team. 7-8 outings by our starters will be very rare just by intent.

 

And Chacin wasn't exactly rolling or nearly as good as his line indicated. Lot of hard contact and got away with some pitches.

[wildcat83]

Chacin looked gassed. Can’t blow these leads.

 

Gassed? At 64 pitches? 64 stress free pitches? He gave up opposite field ground ball singles, a pop up, and a ground out that inning. What looked gassed?

[istanbultaye]

Maybe his low pitch count was a sign that he was masking an injury??? If there was ever a time for a SP to at least get through 7, tonight was the night...

[pacopete4]

I’m good with the change. Pitch count was low but they were starting to get on him.

[The stache]

Our bullpen may be awesome, but you still need your starters to go deeper into games, or your bullpen will be gassed by the end of the season.

[istanbultaye]

Hammel back out for the 7th at 95.

[liveforoctober]

bunt this boy over...

[adambr2]

Maybe his low pitch count was a sign that he was masking an injury??? If there was ever a time for a SP to at least get through 7, tonight was the night...

 

I honestly don't think Counsell cares about a low pitch count, I think it's honestly just team strategy to let the pen take the last 3-4 innings under all but rare circumstances.

[wildcat83]

Because that's the design of our team. We have an awesome bullpen that is designed to take the last few innings of every game. Whether it works out or not, that is the strategy and has been all year. These early hooks aren't coincidence. We are going to lean heavily on the strength of this team. 7-8 outings by our starters will be very rare just by intent.

 

And Chacin wasn't exactly rolling or nearly as good as his line indicated. Lot of hard contact and got away with some pitches.

 

I agree this is what we are built for, in tough games when needed. This just doesn't feel like it was at all needed. Those bull pen arms only can eat up so many innings.

[pacopete4]

Because that's the design of our team. We have an awesome bullpen that is designed to take the last few innings of every game. Whether it works out or not, that is the strategy and has been all year. These early hooks aren't coincidence. We are going to lean heavily on the strength of this team. 7-8 outings by our starters will be very rare just by intent.

 

And Chacin wasn't exactly rolling or nearly as good as his line indicated. Lot of hard contact and got away with some pitches.

 

I agree this is what we are built for, in tough games when needed. This just doesn't feel like it was at all needed. Those bull pen arms only can eat up so many innings.

And if Chacin blew up and it ended up 4-4 or we got down, we would be calling Counsell an idiot for trusting Chacin to get out of it.

 

We better get use to this new approach to our starters.

[liveforoctober]

Chacin's ERA is under 4 now for the year .. getting there!

[82brewcrew82]

Because that's the design of our team. We have an awesome bullpen that is designed to take the last few innings of every game. Whether it works out or not, that is the strategy and has been all year. These early hooks aren't coincidence. We are going to lean heavily on the strength of this team. 7-8 outings by our starters will be very rare just by intent.

 

And Chacin wasn't exactly rolling or nearly as good as his line indicated. Lot of hard contact and got away with some pitches.

 

I agree this is what we are built for, in tough games when needed. This just doesn't feel like it was at all needed. Those bull pen arms only can eat up so many innings.

His pitch count may have been low but after the first three or so innings I didn't think Chacin was all that great. He gave up quite a few long fly balls and got lucky on some mistake pitchers. He wasn't as good as his pitch count suggests.

[Greenleaf1]

Chacin gave up a fair amount of hard hit outs, he was not cruising by any means.

 

The bullpen is overwhelmingly the strength of this team.

 

We're about to go play a tough series against the Cubs, we don't want to let this one get away. We've also got Woodruff out there to eat innings tomorrow or Friday if need be, and we have enough arms out there that pretty much everybody who pitched yesterday will get the night off tonight (except for Jennings).

 

I really don't see the big deal in pulling Chacin there. Play to your strengths.

[adambr2]

Our bullpen may be awesome, but you still need your starters to go deeper into games, or your bullpen will be gassed by the end of the season.

 

I'm confident they'll manage the innings just fine. It isn't going to be 7 guys shouldering all those pen innings, they'll also rotate in Lopez, Houser, and whoever of Woodruff and Suter isn't starting. Maybe even Peralta. The 10 day DL may be used to give guys a break at times.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Chacin is basically 2 pitch pitcher who doesn't go deep into games - i would rather have his hook be too quick than let him get teed off on before you've got a reliever ready to get you out of an inning with a favorable matchup.

 

It's obvious there is a team-wide approach to pull starters early this season. Part of that has to be the comfort level they have across the bullpen, plus arms waiting for their chance down in AAA.

[82brewcrew82]

The pen is being used a lot but I don't get the feeling they are over worked.

[pacopete4]

The pen is being used a lot but I don't get the feeling they are over worked.

 

Me either. Counsell has done a fantastic job so far in this department.

[82brewcrew82]

Our bullpen may be awesome, but you still need your starters to go deeper into games, or your bullpen will be gassed by the end of the season.

 

I'm confident they'll manage the innings just fine. It isn't going to be 7 guys shouldering all those pen innings, they'll also rotate in Lopez, Houser, and whoever of Woodruff and Suter isn't starting. Maybe even Peralta. The 10 day DL may be used to give guys a break at times.

Add in Knebel and Logan who haven't pitched all that much. They have the ammunition to make additions as well. It is certainly different but they seem to have a plan for this.

[Greenleaf1]

Looking at the innings totals for our relievers so far and it doesn't look like anybody is on track to go way over their innings totals from last year. Jeffress/Albers maybe a bit but Hader should be able to go about as many innings as they could possibly need out of the bullpen and we've got a lot of converted starters who could have an above average workload out of the bullpen, not to mention fresh arms on the way back.

 

Our bullpen probably won't be this great all year just because these numbers are insane that they're putting up, so we might as well get the wins we can get out of them now.

[adambr2]

The pen is being used a lot but I don't get the feeling they are over worked.

 

I also think they utilize their pen in a way that should theoretically allow them to eat up more innings than traditional pens over the course of a season. More multi inning outings with more planned days off. Less occasions of unnecessarily getting up and down in the pen. Not that I have anything scientific to back this up with but I would assume that 70 outings of 1 inning is more stressful on the arm than 25 outings of 2 innings and 30 outings of 1 inning.

[82brewcrew82]

The pen is being used a lot but I don't get the feeling they are over worked.

 

I also think they utilize their pen in a way that should theoretically allow them to eat up more innings than traditional pens over the course of a season. More multi inning outings with more planned days off. Less occasions of unnecessarily getting up and down in the pen. Not that I have anything scientific to back this up with but I would assume that 70 outings of 1 inning is more stressful on the arm than 25 outings of 2 innings and 30 outings of 1 inning.

I agree. There is something very deliberate about how the pen is being deployed.

[Greenleaf1]

Dubon hitting streak up to 14 games, he's 2-3 so far tonight. Got his first walk yesterday and is not striking out hardly at all (although he had 3 yesterday, he only had 7 total before that this year).

 

Guessing that Sogard will be gone by June and they'll bring up Dubon. Would much rather see him in there backing up Villar/Arcia and getting a start every 3rd day or so.