Arizona Bullpen Resembles Dow Jones Dump

Remember last Thursday?  You know, the day the Dow Jones took a tumble by almost 1000 points, about 800 of it within mere minutes.  It had looked like nothing was going to stop the free fall.  Thank God it did stop.  What happens though, as a fan of your favorite baseball team, when said team gives up runs just as fast?  Nothing.  There is nothing to stop the bleeding.  At least from the surface. At least the Dow Jones has recovered somewhat.  There may not be a recovery anytime soon for the Dbacks.

No stop gap measures here.  You only have so many players to stop the in-game bashing.  Someone has to step up, right?  Well, last night against the Los Angeles Dodgers no one stepped up.  I think the Dodgers almost just started swinging in the ninth inning to end the Arizona Diamondbacks misery quick and send the Dodgers to their second win of the three game series.

The free fall is maddening.  How many different ways can I write about it?  This isn’t my first write-up on the subject and it certainly won’t be the last.  I would like to write about much happier subjects.  I can’t.  This has become the identity of this team.  The Dbacks now have give up the most runs by any major league team, including the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates, which as recently as a week and a half ago, was running away with the runs against title.

A staggering 55 runs have been given up by the Dbacks in the eighth and ninth innings this season.  Of those 55, 32 have been in the ninth alone.  Last night they gave up seven in the eighth and two in the ninth.  They have the worst bullpen ERA in the majors, by far and by far I mean as far as between here and Venezuela.  No other bullpen is within two runs of them.  Two runs.  In the MLB, that’s a Grand Canyon difference.

Last night I just suggested they remove all five players.  Waive them, send them down if they have options, lock them out, do whatever it takes.  I’m not suggesting the next five bullpen pitchers would fare any different, but you have to try, right?  You have to give this team a chance.  Give the fans a chance to collect their boos and hold them for another day long aways down the road.  It’s deflating to the players, to the fans alike, to watch this bullpen blow up not just from time to time, but EVERY DAY.  EVERY DAY!  That’s what is happening.  The bullpen has make a stop sometime.  Best ERA in the pen is Chad Qualls at 6.94.  By the way, Qualls is your closer.

Here’s hoping tonight’s starter, Edwin Jackson can go nine.  Then again, he’s fared no better.   He’s been worse. In fact, last two starts, his ERA is 25.85!  Maybe I will take my chances with the bullpen.  Ughhh.

Chad Qualls