Michael Scott Matheny
The final 3 games of the NLCS were a microcosm of the last 3 seasons. The baseball world has now seen what we have been dealing with since 2012. Bullpen mismanagement. Head-scratching decisions. Double-switches that leave us worse off than we were before. Yes, his predecessor TLR was notorious for double-switches, but at least there was a method to Tony's madness. With Matheny, it's just madness.
I've stayed pretty silent on the issue, but I've had all I can stands, I can't stands no more! For anyone needing a refresher:
NLCS Game 3: In the bottom of the 10th, Randy Choate was inserted into the game, while Martinez and Rosenthal (and even Wacha) were left in the bullpen. Matheny was presumably "playing the percentages", and lining up lefty-on-lefty matchups. What he didn't realize is that those matchups don't work if your pitcher can't hit the strike zone, and can't get anyone out.
Choate faced 3 batters. And after a walk, a hit, and a throwing error by Choate himself, the Cardinals found themselves down 2-1. A tough loss, but by no means was the series over.
NLCS Game 4: Another blown save and loss by the bullpen, this one on Marco Gonzales. Sure, Matt Adams did not make the best decisions on back-to-back plays in the bottom of the 6th, but those are the type of situational baseball plays you
have to cover in spring training. Matheny's lackadaisical stance towards errors and general defensive play came back to bite him once again.
NLCS Game 5: Matheny certainly saved his best for last. In the bottom of the 9th, with the game tied 3-3, and the season on the line, he turned to...MICHAEL WACHA! Sure, Wacha was the 2013 NLCS MVP, but he's a shell of the pitcher that won that award. He hadn't pitched competitively in 20 days. He was relegated to the bullpen for the postseason. And you all know the rest.
Single. Flyout. Walk. Series-ending and pennant clinching 3-run home run. And all the while, the entire pen (except for Neshek) watched the season slide away. He overlooked Maness, Martinez, Rosenthal, and even his pet lefty Choate.
"We can't bring him in, in a tie-game situation. We're on the road." - Matheny on why he did not use Rosenthal.
YOU ****ING MORON! If Rosenthal was "do-not-touch-without-the-lead", fine. But Wacha was not the choice in that spot. Wacha was doomed from the moment of the first pitch to Sandoval. And you set him up for failure! What kind of leadership is that? Is that more servant leadership bull****?
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD THIS MAN MANAGE THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS BASEBALL CLUB IN 2015. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD JOHN MOZELIAK, FIND SOMEONE BETTER. Hell, I'd even take Dusty Baker at this point.
Three seasons. Three trips to the playoffs. Three visits to the NLCS. And zero titles.
Micromanaging every single game. Out-managed every time it counted.
We will eventually win our 12th world championship. Someone other than Matheny will lead us there.
MATHENY OUT!
Last edited by KrazyKris; 10-18-2014 at 02:29 AM.