Guess who has the most innings pitched in the Twins’ bullpen? Well, it’s Francisco Liriano at 9 1/3 innings, but he’s a long reliever. Guess who’s next? Jesse Crain at 8 1/3 innings. Yes. He of the 7.56 ERA and .359 batting average against. He has also appeared in the most games of any Twins pitcher.
Gardy had him pitch three innings of a tie game yesterday. Basically, he asked him to pitch until he lost. Meanwhile Joe Nathan, All-Star relief pitcher and complete stud, has thrown 4 innings this season. Someone explain this to me?
Comments (3)
I had to look it up to confirm a hunch, but yeah, Nathan used to be a starter. He should be able to go multiple innings most of the time. Ridiculous.
Well, most pitchers started at some point, so you’re right. The biggest annoyance is not using your best pitchers in high-pressure situations. Especially when instead you use a pitcher who has clearly been struggling for a longer stint than he needs to ever be used.
It’s unknown and unknowable as to why this is the case. Do not try to understand it. If you think about it too much, your head will explode.