Fire Dusty Baker!

[Count Walewski]

Dusty is about to easily make the postseason a second straight year despite an injury-depleted team. He's clearly doing something right.

[baldkid]

This season my guy has really done well in his old spots, 3-0 at SF, 4-0 at Cincy, 2-1 at Cubbies

[imref]

cause for concern?

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/dusty-baker-is-throwing-caution-pitch-counts-to-the-wind/

[mitlen]

Is he still here?

[imref]

Rosenthal reports rizzo told him they want to keep dusty next year.

[HalfSmokes]

Then win in the playoffs- someone will have to be the fallguy for another early exit and it's probably not rizzo's turn yet

[Optics]

cause for concern?

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/dusty-baker-is-throwing-caution-pitch-counts-to-the-wind/

Again, what's the alternative?

Our bullpen has been a disaster this season until recently. We also have dominant starting pitching that should be encouraged to go deep into games.

[dcpatti]

Again, what's the alternative?

Our bullpen has been a disaster this season until recently. We also have dominant starting pitching that should be encouraged to go deep into games.

Plus one of the pitchers with the most increased pitch count is Gio (8 more pitches per game), who is pitching more bevsuse he's  staying in games longer and not melting down and getting yanked in the 5th. This is not a bad thing. The pitch count metric is much more important when taken in context rather than all on its lonesome.

[MorseTheHorse]

bump

[Leroy Veritas]

Fire the manager. Rehire the manager. Fire the manager again just for the satisfaction of it.

[imref]

Fire the manager. Rehire the manager. Fire the manager again just for the satisfaction of it.

Worked for George and Billy.

[Leroy Veritas]

Worked for George and Billy.

Yeah, but I'm talking about doing this all in about 30 minutes total.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

[bluestreak]

http://www.masnsports.com/nationals-pastime/2017/09/why-the-nats-let-scherzer-throw-116-pitches-in-a-september-loss.html

Basically Scherzer said he wanted to go 110-120 pitches tonight as part of building up his stamina for the playoffs. And that that goal was more important than the result of the game.

So, surprise, Dusty knows more about his players and team than a bunch of people on WNFF...🙄

[dcpatti]

http://www.masnsports.com/nationals-pastime/2017/09/why-the-nats-let-scherzer-throw-116-pitches-in-a-september-loss.html

Basically Scherzer said he wanted to go 110-120 pitches tonight as part of building up his stamina for the playoffs. And that that goal was more important than the result of the game.

So, surprise, Dusty knows more about his players and team than a bunch of people on WNFF...🙄

I actually buy this explanation, even if it was super uncomfortable to watch.

[DPMOmaha]

I actually buy this explanation, even if it was super uncomfortable to watch.

I'll buy it when I see how he does in his next couple of starts and/or how he does in October.

[Slateman]

http://www.masnsports.com/nationals-pastime/2017/09/why-the-nats-let-scherzer-throw-116-pitches-in-a-september-loss.html

Basically Scherzer said he wanted to go 110-120 pitches tonight as part of building up his stamina for the playoffs. And that that goal was more important than the result of the game.

So, surprise, Dusty knows more about his players and team than a bunch of people on WNFF...🙄

I actually buy this explanation, even if it was super uncomfortable to watch.

Which will be fine, except we know Dusty will do the same thing in playoffs.

Also, moronic to bring in Kintzler with the bases juiced. You're basically saying you don't care if you give up a run or two. That was prime Madson territory.

[Leroy Veritas]

http://www.masnsports.com/nationals-pastime/2017/09/why-the-nats-let-scherzer-throw-116-pitches-in-a-september-loss.html

Basically Scherzer said he wanted to go 110-120 pitches tonight as part of building up his stamina for the playoffs. And that that goal was more important than the result of the game.

So, surprise, Dusty knows more about his players and team than a bunch of people on WNFF...🙄

And that's asinine. A good manager knows how to adapt when the plan is clearly not working. Max was obviously gassed way before he was pulled. I'll just share this from a friend who isn't a Nats fan:

And it's not like he was close anyway, everything was wild high and away, over and over. It's baffling how baseball people just ignore how awful Baker is at the job he keeps getting hired to do.

[skippy1999]

I think that's garbage, Max didn't miss months to where he'd have to be "stretched out" it's the end of the flippin' season, he needs to be conserving his bullets not wasting them.  He was done, he was spent, leaving him out there didn't "build up" anything it probably wore it down. 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

There's this thing called a bullpen where Max could have gotten in some extra work after he was pulled.

[varoadking]

And that's asinine. A good manager knows how to adapt when the plan is clearly not working. Max was obviously gassed way before he was pulled. I'll just share this from a friend who isn't a Nats fan:

If a track miler is running out of gas, does he improve his time the next time out if he quits 1/2 way to the finish this time?  Or should he push himself...even if he's going at 1/2 speed?

[NatsAllThe Way]

Again, what's the alternative?

Our bullpen has been a disaster this season until recently. We also have dominant starting pitching that should be encouraged to go deep into games.

Sure it should...  in the playoffs.

[aspenbubba]

I think that's garbage, Max didn't miss months to where he'd have to be "stretched out" it's the end of the flippin' season, he needs to be conserving his bullets not wasting them.  He was done, he was spent, leaving him out there didn't "build up" anything it probably wore it down. 

Agree. I texted my baseball wife that he was not looking good around the fourth inning. Medicore is the word I used to describe him. He was sweating profusely ( not at Stras level) and never looked comfortable . I believe in the GDT I was the first to ask WTF was he doing out there to start the 7th (97 pitches).

[Leroy Veritas]

If a track miler is running out of gas, does he improve his time the next time out if he quits 1/2 way to the finish this time?  Or should he push himself...even if he's going at 1/2 speed?

Terrible analogy. What is the 1 mile point for pitching? If it's a complete game, nobody finishes anymore. If it's 100 pitches, Max does that nearly every time. If it's 6 innings and 3 ER, the "quality start," then Max always does that and had completed it last night.

Max has gone less than 100 pitches 7 times this year, only 2 under 90 and one of those was being pulled because he was injured after 10 pitches. There's nothing to stretch out here, it's just an imbecile manager with decades of evidence that he can't manage a pitching staff doing what he always does.

[varoadking]

Terrible analogy. There's nothing to stretch out here...

So you think Max was lying?