Gardenhire and Rincon

[ziggy]

OK Rincon has done well all year, and also in this series.  All that aside you start the inning with a 5-1 lead, and only need to go 2 innings.  I can understand leaving Rincon in for a couple of hitters, but once the tieing run is at the plate with nobody out, after 3 straight hits, it is time to end the experiment.  I can't believe he didn't go with Nathan.  It is do or die time.

This comes back to his dubious decision to pull Santana after 5.  Santana had gone 12 innings against the Yankees in this series with only 1 earned run.  I would have left him in for the 6th, and evaluated him at that point.  If he was still dominant then go with him for the 7th, and then that gives you your entire bullpen for the final 2 innings, and a 4 run lead.

[Reality]

Amen.

Its unreal what Skunk opponents will do.

[ziggy]

Amen.

Its unreal what Skunk opponents will do.

Twins/Yankees and Dogers/Cards games were the same with 2 different decisions.  In both cases the teams facing elimination were up by 4 runs, with the starting pitchers dominating great offensive teams.  In one the manager pulled the starting pitcher at some "pre-determined" pitch count and because the pitcher sat to long.  In the other the manager went with his starter until he showed sign of struggling.  In the one where the manager went to the bullpen 2 to 3 innings early, they lost.  In the one where the manager went with his starter, until he showed signs of losing control of the game, they won.