I get it. Cora understands all the ins and outs better than I do.
That being said, I'd like to see our starters going a bit longer into games, and with ST'ing being delayed and shortened, I can understand why there has been a delay. The expanded pens are now gone, so that's another reason we have seen shorter starts.
True, but 60 is awfully low.
This season: 72, 79, 82, 92, 60
Maybe the 92 made Cora think he'd go light, this time, but it's not like 92 is way too much.
How would we know?
This is not the same Wacha from pre-September 2021.
Also, even when he sucked, his numbers were not that bad...
.682 first time
.742 second time
.759 3rd time
.582 4th time
(if you add 3rd & 4th time together, it's better than the second time.)
Time to take the kid gloves off, especially since the pen is now reduced by 2 pitchers. Same goes with some other starters not named Houck.
They did put added pressure on themselves to have one or two more hot stretches over the remaining season, but as badly as they have been playing, the last WC slot is not all that far away. (I've been needlessly reminded that last place is just as close.)
...and road teams are probably losing just as many games in extra innings as before the ghost runner rule, but now they are getting more chances for multiple blown saves in extras: that was my point.
Yes, but they can more easily have multiple blown saves in extra innings, as we often see one team score a run, then in the bottom of the inning, the home team ties it (blown save) and on to more chances for more blown saves.
Before the ghost runner, my guess is the amount of multiple blown saves in extra was way less than now.
It's actually 19.
Counting tonight, we play 20 of our next 28 at home (to June 1st), including a 5 game series vs BAL in 4 days.
We have to win, because after this stretch, we hit the left coast road
3@ OAK
4@ LAA
3@ SEA
We all know how we do out there.
You'd think, so, and even though every extra inning game is lost by someone, these extra inning games often involve multiple blown saves as team match each other in runs scored often.
While winning the division is very nice, it's not really needed.
The Yanks will hit a rough patch, at some point. We will likely have a few more, too.
With 138 games to go, there is enough time to overtake the Yanks or do enough to secure a playoff slot.