Mr Baron, I do have great respect for your writing and insight, so please do not take the issue below personally
the thought of pushing Jake back to game 3 was completely arrogant, ill conceived and nonsensical. In the postseason, worrying about what will happen in a series you have not yet qualified for is absurd. Every game should be treated as if it is the last game of the year, even more so in a two of three.
The only move was to pitch the pitchers that give the team the largest chance of winning the next game. Nothing else matters.
Worrying about how the rotation will work in the next series has no meaning whatsoever, as several other MLB managers in this season's post have made clear. Only Buck is worried about a series the team has not qualified for. this is a flaw in Buck, and yes, I am brining up Britton and 2014. That was the same MO - worry about the future, forget the present.
This is how Buck managed all year, and it hurt in 3 specific games in September:
2 against the Pirates and the 1st Brave game in Atlanta; with small 1-2 run deficits, Buck punted on those games to worry about the future. It did not help.
The Mets have been an RISP and score runner from 3rd with < 2 out choke for the last month, and it has not been good for most of the year. It was good early, but the 2nd half and especially September and October have been disasters from an RISP perspective
I live and die for this team, respect what Buck has done for the team defensively, but his strategy of worrying about the future backfired, though of course I would do anything for us to win these next two games. But this constant lament about pushing your best pitcher back a game willl be seen for what it was - a huge mistake.
Mr Baron, I do have great respect for your writing and insight, so please do not take the issue below personally
the thought of pushing Jake back to game 3 was completely arrogant, ill conceived and nonsensical. In the postseason, worrying about what will happen in a series you have not yet qualified for is absurd. Every game should be treated as if it is the last game of the year, even more so in a two of three.
The only move was to pitch the pitchers that give the team the largest chance of winning the next game. Nothing else matters.
Worrying about how the rotation will work in the next series has no meaning whatsoever, as several other MLB managers in this season's post have made clear. Only Buck is worried about a series the team has not qualified for. this is a flaw in Buck, and yes, I am brining up Britton and 2014. That was the same MO - worry about the future, forget the present.
This is how Buck managed all year, and it hurt in 3 specific games in September:
2 against the Pirates and the 1st Brave game in Atlanta; with small 1-2 run deficits, Buck punted on those games to worry about the future. It did not help.
The Mets have been an RISP and score runner from 3rd with < 2 out choke for the last month, and it has not been good for most of the year. It was good early, but the 2nd half and especially September and October have been disasters from an RISP perspective
I live and die for this team, respect what Buck has done for the team defensively, but his strategy of worrying about the future backfired, though of course I would do anything for us to win these next two games. But this constant lament about pushing your best pitcher back a game willl be seen for what it was - a huge mistake.