However Arrieta is used, Smoltz said it isn’t easy to switch from pitching every fifth day to having to be ready to enter a game in an unknown situation at a moment’s notice.
“It’s not as easy as people think,” he said. “I don’t think every starter in the history of the game could just transition into being a reliever just because they had good stuff.”
...“Whether you have your stuff or not, you’ve got to believe you do [when you come out of the bullpen],” Smoltz said. “You’re not given much freedom to make mistakes. As a starter, you can not have your stuff and recoup it in the fourth inning and your team can bail you out.
“Everyone just assumes that coming out of the bullpen, everyone’s going to have their best stuff, because they don’t have to throw as much. It’s not always the case. So you have to almost fake it sometimes and get through it.”
...Or, as Smoltz said, pitching in relief when your team is already losing can present a good time for a pitcher to take some risks and work without the same pressure as starting or coming in to protect a lead. (Arrieta has yet to work out of the pen, so his role hasn’t been completely defined, but he’d obviously be more suited to long relief.)
“In this case it just sounds like he’s in a pretty good funk, and this is going to help get him out of the funk by depressurizing,” Smoltz said.
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1. Ivan Grushenko of Hong Kong Posted: June 13, 2012 at 05:35 PM (#4156002)The swelling in Matusz's nose has forced Arrieta back into the rotation.
The fact that he had even less trouble moving back to the rotation a few years later, and was more valuable, is probably evidence that this is a dumb move. Although I can't blame the O's at this point for wondering if Arrieta will ever put it together as a starter.
And as tfc noted, he's starting tonight, so, wow, that was fast.
Well, that depends on what stats you're looking at.
The Orioles see a guy who's 2 and 8 with a 6.32 era. That sucks.
The Stat people see a guy with 8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9, who's been unbelievably unlucky on BABIP and HR/FB. His xFIP is 3.74 (12th best in the AL...right between Jered Weaver and CJ Wilson).
Matusz bunted into his face.
First AJ Burnett now this!
The only logical strategy is to ban your pitchers from swinging or bunting while at bat.
That strategy would have saved Alexi Ogando a trip to the DL also.
If he can't have a decent outing against the Pirates lineup (.279 team obp), then the pen really is his only hope.
I often want my team to do this when there's a runner on base and no outs. Sometimes the "intentional strikeout" is superior to any chance of a double play.
Yeah, it's absolutely confidence. Also seems (without looking), that the bullpen hasn't helped much with inherited runners. He's off to a good start today (6ks in three innings), but... against the Pirates.
That's a statement, I'd say.
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