From Bryan Hoch:
Clay Holmes has yet to allow an earned run this season, though the Yankees closer has admittedly navigated some traffic to keep that mark spotless. That was not the case on Friday, when the right-hander fired a dominant 10-pitch ninth inning, sending his team on to extra innings.
As Holmes returned to the bench, he received congratulations for his strong performance, while also being informed that his work was complete for the night. Yankees manager Aaron Boone was looking elsewhere to finish off the game, which would conclude in a 7-6, 11-inning loss to the Brewers at American Family Field.
Joey Ortiz decided the game with his fourth RBI of the night, a run-scoring single off Michael Tonkin, a journeyman right-hander making his Yankees debut. The choice of the 34-year-old Tonkin for a save situation was a curious one that deserves further examination.
“It’s definitely a tough spot to go in,” Boone said.
Boone had already used three relievers — Ron Marinaccio, Dennis Santana and Caleb Ferguson — ahead of Holmes, who retired the side in order in the ninth. Boone refused to send Holmes back out for a second inning, considering he has now pitched in 13 of the club’s 27 games.
“He’s on about an 80-game pace in April, and with some of the attrition we’ve had in our bullpen, I wasn’t going to send my closer out,” Boone said. “I’ll do four outs this time of year, but I wasn’t going to send him out for a second inning.”
Ian Hamilton was unavailable after throwing 39 pitches over two appearances during the Athletics series, so Boone said his choices were between Victor González and Tonkin — the latter of whom was claimed off waivers from the Mets on Thursday.
Boone chose Tonkin, preferring the right-on-right matchups against the first two batters due up in the 10th, Willy Adames and Rhys Hoskins.
I honestly do feel for Boone a bit here, as I think Hamilton and Weaver clearly WERE unavailable, but no, dude, I don’t care about the lefty/righty shit, Victor Gonzalez has GOT to be the pick in the 10th. You could go to Tonkin later if needed. I would have just pushed Holmes to another inning, but I can see the argument against it. This was the worst Tonkin incident in human history.
Otherwise, I mean, what are you going to do when your starter has a bad game? Scoring five runs off of a decent starter is not bad. They hung in there, so I can’t complain about the offense too much (Judge, though, holy shit, dude). Just some bad luck against a good Milwaukee team.
RAB Lineup should be:
1. Verdugo
2. Judge
3. Soto
4. Everyone else
Verdugo and Soto are the only guys hitting and right now they are so far apart in the lineup that one never has a chance to drive in the other.
I think I might keep Volpe leading off, switch Soto and Judge and move Verdugo to 4 or 5 rotating with Stanton.
I want volpe out of the leadoff spot to let him adjust in a less exposed role. It’s weird that they moved so fast to move a veteran like Gleyber out of the spot when he wasn’t performing and won’t consider doing the same for a guy still establishing himself.
I’m not sure it ever really makes any sense to “save” the good pitchers – to avoid just using the best pitcher you have left. I guess I can imagine a situation, but it would have to be a real rock-and-a-hard-place scenario, and they weren’t facing anything like that last night.
Late in a game like last night’s, what you have is a guarantee that you’re using that “best pitcher left” in a high leverage situation. Why save him in case you might, maybe, get a high-leverage situation later? You have one now. And what’s the likelihood you end up using them in a LOWER-leverage situation? Pretty good, I’m betting.
Just win the game you’re playing, man.
He was saving his best pitcher in order to go to his worst pitcher. There was no Lo or Wandy or Ephus or Hamilton to come in. He threw 9 pitches on Tuesday and 10! last night. I bet if last night had been one of those innings nwith an error and a walk Booner would’ve let his pitch count rise past 25 or 30. Booner knows a few simple baseball axions but doesn’t understand the context.
YC, I agree, that’s exactly what he would have done.
But shouldn’t you really go with your best? If you win, then you still can win the game in which you won’t be able use that pitcher, if there even is such a game. So if you win, you win either one or both games; if you lose, can only win one and might lose both.
More accurately, the way to improve your chances of winning is by using the bet pitchers in the highest-leverage situation that will arise in those two games. You KNOW you have a high-leverage situation here – a one-run game in the late innings, corrupted by the lousy, stinkin’ Manfred man. Are you likely to have a higher-leverage situation in the next game – in which your offense could blow them out in the 1st inning, or in which your own starter might implode in the 1st inning… it’s possible, but it’s got to be less likely. In which case you should use your best pitcher NOW, not later. Whoever you DON’T use know will, after all, be available later. If you were even considering using THAT pitcher in the higher-leverage situation – well, if that situation actually DOES arise in the next game, you have your chance to do it, and then it at least would make some sense.
I think the Yankees have no choice but to declare war in Milwaukee
Booner has met the enemy and he is him.
In other breaking news, Napoleon’s victory at Waterloo may not have been as complete as expected.
Franco still dead
Guessing Grisham plays Judge sits.
Judge has worked extraordinarily hard to make me comfortable with that.
Wrong but some changes along the line of my earlier suggestion
A Volpe (R) SS
J Soto (L) RF
A Judge (R) CF
A Verdugo (L) LF
G Stanton (R) DH
A Rizzo (L) 1B
G Torres (R) 2B
A Wells (L) C
O Cabrera (S) 3B
Greg Joyce Ian Hamilton was feeling some general soreness yesterday after playing catch, per Boone, which is why he was not available to pitch (barring an emergency) last night. Hoping to have him available tonight.
Awesome, awesome, no concern here, no sir, no sir.
Boone is but a puppet.
Garret Cooper to townies for cash, speaking of which we have no BU 1B.
Brian, thread?
Also, what’s the best way to view rlyw on a phone? Is there an app, or just in a browser?
Browser.
I’m surprised Tonkin hasn’t been shuttled yet.
He can’t be optioned, right? So he’d have to be DFA’d, and you’d think they’d first like to give Blake a chance to work with him.