THIS IS BULLSHIT!

THIS IS BULLSHIT!

Some guy named Severino Gonzalez pitched (well) for the Phillies last night. He threw 64 pitches over five innings and gave up only one run. The Phillies, who have now won 7 of their last 8, still stink and probably should’ve just left the 22-year-old in to see how deep he could go. But Ryne Sandberg, who doesn’t seem like a particularly smart man, pulled him in favor of a pinch hitter in the sixth, up 4-1. Larry Andersen no like:

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LA: Oh man, is he hurt? Ya think Severino González is hurt?

SF: Doesn’t look like it, in the dugout anyway. He’s getting handshakes all around, he’s gone five innings and he’s done for the night.

LA: Oh man, he must be gassed after 64 pitches. You gotta be kiddin me … You don’t have to go to your bullpen in the sixth inning. I just totally, totally disagree with that move.

SF: … Your biggest problem with the move?

LA: 64 pitches, and we’re not talking about a bullpen that’s been lights out of late. when you’re gonna get four innings out of ’em in a three run game. I know they got more hits out of him the second time through, so is this guy gonna be a five inning pitcher his whole career? Because he can’t go through a lineup a third time? I know you wanna win, but if that was really the case, I think we’d be seeing some other players here, too. I don’t wanna say that they don’t wanna win, but … [sigh]

SF: You’re saying that if the expectation is more about the development of the player …

LA: Right. And if you’re in the pennant race, and the bullpen hasn’t been used and is completely rested and is pitching lights out, then I can see it. But, and this is the complaint I had when I was coaching in the minor leagues when I got yelled at for letting Matt Beech throw over a hundred pitches, because every time he hit the seventh inning, he blew up. He could cruise through six and then when it hit the seventh, he couldn’t get anybody out. I said ‘Well, he’s not gonna get any better until we leave him out there.’ He’s not gonna learn how to do it. So [I said] leave him out there. Let his ERA get up to ten but he’s gotta learn to get people out in the seventh inning. Cause otherwise you’re just conditioning him to be a six inning pitcher. Is that what you want? That’s just opinion though … I’m not the one making the decisions …

I’m not saying they don’t want to win… but I have to sit up here every night and watch this shit and it’s pretty obvious this franchise doesn’t give one big ol’ flying fuck about winning.

Side note: MATT BEECH REFERENCE!