Again, Clay Holmes went 2 months without letting up a run and then he blew a save. None of what houck did previously matters on that night, pretty simple. Prove otherwise.
No, it's not about what I prefer. It's about the fact that there is absolutely no way to know whether houck would have closed that game out. He may very well have. He also may have given up a 3 run dinger. There's no way to know.
You keep stating this as if it is a fact when it is certainly not. There is absolutely no way of knowing whether houck would have closed that game out or not. Pure speculation.
I don't disagree that there are certainly differences between the skill level of different closers.
But that does not guarantee that houck would have shut them down, regardless of what he has done this month or against the cardinals and the Guardians. Clay Holmes hadn't let a up a run for 2 months and then blew a save. Did what he accomplished during those two months have anything to do with blowing that save? So my point stands, purely speculation.
seattle sucks and part of the Guardians success so far this year is that they play in a crappy division. But I do understand your point that the AL East is once again the AL Beast.
I understand what you are saying, but having a stretch where you play a lot of teams that are under .500 can certainly help with your winning % over that stretch.
And just because the orioles are 3 out of 5 vs the sox doesn't mean they aren't pushovers. It just means they have taken care of the sox so far.