| On Monday night, in a 3-3 game against the Mariners, the Twins went to the bottom of the ninth using Matt Guerrier in his second inning of work. Guerrier gave up the game-winning homer to Richie Sexson. Why was Guerrier still in the game? Why wasn't Joe Nathan used? Nathan hadn't pitches since Aug. 5, so it wasn't a matter of overuse. No, it was just the latest example of a manager "saving" his best reliever until there was a save situation, instead of using him with the game on the line. The Twins would have been much better off using Nathan right there, and even using him for two innings if necessary. If there's any pretense of the Twins competing in the AL Central, that's a game they had to win. Instead, by managing by the save rule, they lost a critical game.
Meanwhile, Mariners closer J.J. Putz *was* brought in to work the ninth in a tie game. That's ok though, Gardy was able to let Nathan get his work in on Tuesday night, protecting a precarious eight-run lead.
Posted by Jeff Erickson at 8/14/2007 11:44:00 PM |
