2019 Bullpen

[imref]

"The Clubhouse" is getting to be unreadable with this never ending mantra about Dave, Rizzo, the bullpen, yada, yada, yada.

That’s what happens when we’re losing.

[Slateman]

It never would have been a lost season if Rizzo added better arms than Barraclough, Sipp and Rosenthal.

The lineup when healthy is raking. We have 3 ace pitchers and a lights out closer. There is no reason to think this season would have been a wash. Rizzo failed to fix the bullpen (again) and it had cost us.

Why is this so hard for you to grasp? Unless you think the season was lost before we even played a game...

The season was lost when they kept Martinez.

[Mattionals]

So Giles is probably the pearl of the trade market, and as always, bullpen arms will come at high cost.

I think the Reds could flip a few relief arms as well. Might make sense to look there.

[Expos]

The season was lost when they kept Martinez.

It's not his fault Rizzo gave him the worst bullpen in Major league history.

[Slateman]

It's not his fault Rizzo gave him the worst bullpen in Major league history.

No, I dont fault Rizzo for not having a crystal ball and being able to predict that a group of pitchers would massively underperform.

[Slateman]

So Giles is probably the pearl of the trade market, and as always, bullpen arms will come at high cost.

I think the Reds could flip a few relief arms as well. Might make sense to look there.

Incorrect.  Doolittle is the pearl of the trade market

[Elvir Ovcina]

It never would have been a lost season if Rizzo added better arms than Barraclough, Sipp and Rosenthal.

The lineup when healthy is raking. We have 3 ace pitchers and a lights out closer. There is no reason to think this season would have been a wash. Rizzo failed to fix the bullpen (again) and it had cost us.

Why is this so hard for you to grasp? Unless you think the season was lost before we even played a game...

You blame the bullpen 100% apparently and note that the lineup, "when healthy" has been raking, as if Rendon, Turner, Soto, Zimmerman (!), Kendrick, and Adams have all been healthy all season. 

For example, between April 24 and May 8, the team was 3-11.   Soto missed the first week of May, Rendon played 1 game between 4/20 and 5/7, and Turner was out that entire time.  A lot of teams, even with a decent bullpen, have trouble when their 1, 3, and 4 hitters go out and are replaced with AAA players.   

Yes, the bullpen was and is a huge issue, but I find it amusing how quickly people forget just how banged up this team was (and still is, although Hellickson and Zimmerman out is a wee bit less of a problem than the three above). 

[imref]

We're 8th in runs scored.  Philly is 7th, Atlanta is 6th, so our offense has been around average.

[Slateman]

We're 8th in runs scored.  Philly is 7th, Atlanta is 6th, so our offense has been around average.

The offense has been good enough, outside of the three weeks or so when half of it was hurt. But when healthy, it's good enough.

Three things have killed this team

1. The bullpen. We all know it. And even if you sign Kimbrel at the beginning of the season, and he pitches like he did last season, this bullpen still has an ERA in the high 5s. Quite frankly, Matt Grace, Wander Suero, Kyle Barraclough, Joe Ross, and Tony Sipp have been freaking disasters and far exceeded even the worst projections for them this season.

2. Poor defense and mental mistakes. Bad base running has been an issue. Poorly played defense is another. They're mostly mental mistakes that you would expect to not happen. They're also the kind of mistakes that previous iterations of this team could get away with due to overwhelming firepower in the lineup, great pitching, and an easy division.

3. The back end of the rotation. This has also contributed to bullpen woes. Neither Sanchez nor Hellickson have performed as hoped. It's compounded the pen issue.

[imref]

The offense has been good enough, outside of the three weeks or so when half of it was hurt. But when healthy, it's good enough.

Three things have killed this team

1. The bullpen. We all know it. And even if you sign Kimbrel at the beginning of the season, and he pitches like he did last season, this bullpen still has an ERA in the high 5s. Quite frankly, Matt Grace, Wander Suero, Kyle Barraclough, Joe Ross, and Tony Sipp have been freaking disasters and far exceeded even the worst projections for them this season.

2. Poor defense and mental mistakes. Bad base running has been an issue. Poorly played defense is another. They're mostly mental mistakes that you would expect to not happen. They're also the kind of mistakes that previous iterations of this team could get away with due to overwhelming firepower in the lineup, great pitching, and an easy division.

3. The back end of the rotation. This has also contributed to bullpen woes. Neither Sanchez nor Hellickson have performed as hoped. It's compounded the pen issue.

Yep

[Bloo]

Give me Stammen and Clippard back if the Padres and/or Indians are sellers.

[Expos]

Jesus these blown leads are getting sickening.

[Air Desmond]

I don’t think Doolittle is as lights out as he’s perceived to be.

Throwing nothing but fastballs makes it easy for the opposition.

[bluestreak]

I don’t think Doolittle is as lights out as he’s perceived to be.

Throwing nothing but fastballs makes it easy for the opposition.

Again, he’s literally been pitching effectively like this for 3+ years.

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/sean-doolittle-may-be-baseball-s-best-reliever-c275690874

[sixthree175]

Give me Stammen and Clippard back if the Padres and/or Indians are sellers.

No, the Nats are sellers.

[Slateman]

Again, he’s literally been pitching effectively like this for 3+ years.

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/sean-doolittle-may-be-baseball-s-best-reliever-c275690874

Article is over a year old. His ERA has doubled. Hes walking more batters. Hes getting hit way more often. It is entirely possible that we are seeing the end of Doolittle's tenure as an elite closer

[Expos]

Article is over a year old. His ERA has doubled. Hes walking more batters. Hes getting hit way more often. It is entirely possible that we are seeing the end of Doolittle's tenure as an elite closer

Which is exactly why we needed to sign Kimbrel and move Doolittle to setup man.

[Slateman]

Which is exactly why we needed to sign Kimbrel and move Doolittle to setup man.

Yes, signing another reliever showing similar signs of decline to a multi-year, expensive deal was the solution to all our problems

[Expos]

Yes, signing another reliever showing similar signs of decline to a multi-year, expensive deal was the solution to all our problems

Who wants to win baseball games?

We lost our window with Harper now we are losing our window with Rendon.

[Slateman]

https://mobile.twitter.com/Nationals/status/1137490567913492484

Guess who's back!!!!

[Slateman]

Who wants to win baseball games?

We lost our window with Harper now we are losing our window with Rendon.

Window closed dude. Window was closed when that dumb freak Dusty went to Sammy Solis in a playoff game. Get over it.

[Expos]

So refreshing to see Tanner Rainey come in and pitch lights out. It looks like he has locked down the 8th.

[Expos]

Wander Suero needs to get the F off this team. Tell him to take Barraclough with him.

[bluestreak]

Wander Suero needs to get the F off this team. Tell him to take Barraclough with him.

Suero was great last night. We have repeated evidence he can’t pitch back to back. He’s not Barraclough.

[Truconfidence]

 

Suero was great last night. We have repeated evidence he can’t pitch back to back. He’s not Barraclough.

basically. Also seems to perform worse with Suzuki catching.