15 replies to this topic

[amoo22]

Just wondering what his ERA as a reliever is. He seems to be doing a really good job, especially against lefties. I know he sucked in the rotation.

[Internet Random]

I'd be interested in seeing that myself, but I concur that it must be way, way better.

[Dave]

http://www.fangraphs...n=P&season=2011

2011 as a starter: 9.33 ERA
2011 as a reliever: 2:05 ERA

[dreese]

Kind of a difference

[Dave]

Major difference in BABIP and K/9.

[amoo22]

hes been just dominating lefties out of the pen.... too bad Q wont put him in any real situations, I feel like whenever he comes in there are 2 outs and we are up by a few runs or down by a few runs

[Brett]

That's in 44 innings as a reliever. He's got a scant 1.00 WHIP in that time, too. He's been a stud as a reliever; there's really no other way to say it.

[Fishin Phil]

I've really come to appreciate what Russell brings to the pen when used correctly. Hopefully, the next manager will have the brains to get the most out of him.

[TFelt]

Yeah having a lefty specialist is huge and a must have on any team. How bad was Marshal as a starter? I know he put up better numbers than Russell, but still interesting that he's one of our best bullpen guys, if not our best.

[willis]

When all this happened way back when, I was of the opinion that starting Russell was a huge mistake. Regardless of how shitty other options were.

The move should have been putting Samardzija in there. He would have been much better and probably would have kept us in more games.

[TWC]

When all this happened way back when, I'm fairly sure that everyone but Quade was of the opinion that starting Russell was a huge mistake. Opinions diverged after that.

[King Jeff]

When all this happened way back when, I was of the opinion that starting Russell was a huge mistake. Regardless of how shitty other options were.

The move should have been putting Samardzija in there. He would have been much better and probably would have kept us in more games.

TWC is right, that was everyone but Quade's and maybe Jim Hendry's opinions. I only half agree with you on Samrdzija. It would have been nice to see if starting was in his future, but he has become such an effective and versatile reliever that it would be shame to start flipping him back and forth again.

[willis]

When all this happened way back when, I was of the opinion that starting Russell was a huge mistake. Regardless of how shitty other options were.

The move should have been putting Samardzija in there. He would have been much better and probably would have kept us in more games.

TWC is right, that was everyone but Quade's and maybe Jim Hendry's opinions. I only half agree with you on Samrdzija. It would have been nice to see if starting was in his future, but he has become such an effective and versatile reliever that it would be shame to start flipping him back and forth again.

I get your strance on Shark. And I'm right there with you. But, at the time, under the circumstances, and seeing that he actually had starter's experience...I make that move vs. starting Russell. Another thing is we're making the great reliever point in September after he has had a great season. Back in April, under dire circumstances, his arm was a better fit to fill in than Russell's.

[King Jeff]

When all this happened way back when, I was of the opinion that starting Russell was a huge mistake. Regardless of how shitty other options were.

The move should have been putting Samardzija in there. He would have been much better and probably would have kept us in more games.

TWC is right, that was everyone but Quade's and maybe Jim Hendry's opinions. I only half agree with you on Samrdzija. It would have been nice to see if starting was in his future, but he has become such an effective and versatile reliever that it would be shame to start flipping him back and forth again.

I get your strance on Shark. And I'm right there with you. But, at the time, under the circumstances, and seeing that he actually had starter's experience...I make that move vs. starting Russell. Another thing is we're making the great reliever point in September after he has had a great season. Back in April, under dire circumstances, his arm was a better fit to fill in than Russell's.

There's no doubt about that. It was before Samardzija even established himself as a reliever, so it was definitely an obvious call that Quade shot down, pretty quickly if I remember correctly. He was absolutely certain that starting Russell was the right idea. Sometimes I think the only reason he is still managing is because Ricketts knew from the beginning that this entire coaching staff was temporary heading into the year and sees no need to mess up his plans now.

[TWC]

When all this happened way back when, I was of the opinion that starting Russell was a huge mistake. Regardless of how shitty other options were.

The move should have been putting Samardzija in there. He would have been much better and probably would have kept us in more games.

TWC is right, that was everyone but Quade's and maybe Jim Hendry's opinions. I only half agree with you on Samrdzija. It would have been nice to see if starting was in his future, but he has become such an effective and versatile reliever that it would be shame to start flipping him back and forth again.

I get your strance on Shark. And I'm right there with you. But, at the time, under the circumstances, and seeing that he actually had starter's experience...I make that move vs. starting Russell. Another thing is we're making the great reliever point in September after he has had a great season. Back in April, under dire circumstances, his arm was a better fit to fill in than Russell's.

There's no doubt about that. It was before Samardzija even established himself as a reliever, so it was definitely an obvious call that Quade shot down, pretty quickly if I remember correctly. He was absolutely certain that starting Russell was the right idea. Sometimes I think the only reason he is still managing is because Ricketts knew from the beginning that this entire coaching staff was temporary heading into the year and sees no need to mess up his plans now.

I love how quoted replies build on each other, allowing me to see the phrase "TWC is right" over and over and over again.

As for Samardzija, I think that the decision was made last offseason that he was going to be used in relief all season long, and nothing was going to change that. I think it was probably the best decision, too. It allowed him to get regular, productive, and generally really effecting innings, all the while building experience and confidence. Flipping in and out of the bullpen over the last few years I think messed him up, maybe delayed his maturing a bit. It may be that after this season or next he can stretch out to be an effective starter.