Elliott: Six reasons why 6-man rotations don't work
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
Six reasons why a six-man rotation won’t last ...
1. This merry-go round keeps moving and moving evoking confusion among the starters.
After lefty Francisco Liriano was obtained before the Aug. 1, non-waiver trade deadline, Aaron Sanchez was headed to the bullpen -- at least that is what general manager Ross Atkins told reporters on his conference call. At the time, Atkins was speaking with reporters, Sanchez was stretching with the pitchers at Minute Maid Field in Houston. He was called off the field and told he was B.B. _ Bullpen Bound.
The next day in his daily meet the press briefing manager John Gibbons left doubt that the Jays would move Sanchez to the bullpen.
And on Wednesday a decision was reached as Atkins flew to Houston: Sanchez was staying in the rotation and a six-man rotation was hatched after the GM spoke to all parties involved plus Gibbons and pitching coach Pete Walker.
2. Why should your remaining games be split six ways instead of five?
Going into the Wednesday Aug. 3 game -- the first game after the final, final decision was made -- the Jays had 55 games remaining. That would have been 11 starts each ... or under the six-man deal nine starts apiece for five starters and 10 for one.
Didn’t fans buy season’s tickets and fill the Rogers Centre to see the best product? As in best five starters ... not the best six?
3. The six-man grouping throws starters off their normal schedule.
After a starting assignment some hurlers like to have a throw day two days later, allowing for two days rest before their next start.
Some, have their throw day three days later, allowing for a day of rest before the next outing.
Some don’t throw at all, but now are required to throw side sessions between starts due to the extra rest.
The most important thing for a pitcher? Repeat his delivery. Over and over again. Same goes for his routine in a rotation.
This five-man vs. six-man couldn’t happen at a worse time in the schedule. Never mind that this is crunch time in the standings -- half a game up, half a game back, cha-cha-cha -- but the Jays have three days off each of this month and next.
Five days of rest will become six. Some teams skip their fifth starter when there are off days. Now not only are the Jays not skipping their fifth but they are adding a sixth.
“Your body wants to pitch when you are used to starting,” said a former major league all star who started more than 10 years. “I used to hate April when we had extra rest due to scheduled off days and bad weather.
“The worst thing for a starter is that extra rest is a built in excuse for when you don’t do well. Everyone wants to pitch well, tries to succeed, but at the slightest stumble it’s there in the back of your mind ‘what do they expect? I’m working on extra rest.’”
4. Is this any way to run a rotation?
The Jays knew in spring training their rotation has issues. Only R.A. Dickey could be counted on to deliver 200 innings.
The rotation ... and the Jays are fortunate that they have only used seven -- the current six plus Drew Hutchison, who made two starts. He is at triple-A Indianapolis and is 0-0 with a 6.94 ERA after two starts pitching 11 2/3 innings.
Well, Sanchez, who has been their best starter since about March 10, had pitched 133 1/3 innings in 2014 and after Saturday’s seven innings he is now at 152 1/3 innings to lead the team.
Marcus Stroman has not pitched more than 166 1/3 innings and is at 147 1/3 innings.
JA Happ has never pitched more than 172 innings last year with the Seattle Mariners and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Four times he has pitched more than 150 innings and he is at 143 currently.
Marco Estrada reached a career high of 181 innings last year and this season he has been bothered by a back injury -- so extra bullpen session between starts is not what the doctor would order.
Liriano reached 191 1/2 innings -- his high-water mark -- with the 2010 Minnesota Twins. He has worked 125 1/3 innings.
Five times Dickey has logged 200 or more innings, including his first three seasons with the Jays. He has pitched 142 2/3 this year.
5. Extra starters means a shorter bench.
For Saturday Gibbons had at his disposal infielder Darwin Barney, outfielder Junior Lake and back-up catcher Josh Thole.
The Jays have 16 games remaining this month before the troops come over the hill and along the Queen Elizabeth Way from triple-A Buffalo.
And Saturday’s outfield consisted of Ceciliani in left, B.J. Upton in centre and Michael Saunders in right.
6. Has a six-man rotation ever worked?
Last June the New York Mets went with a six-man rotation of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Bartolo Colon, Jon Niese and Dillon Gee for a short time.
The Jays added a sixth man behind John Cerutti, Dave Stieb, Jimmy Key, David Wells and Todd Stottleymre when they had lefty John Candelaria face the Chicago White Sox in August of 1990.
Candelaria allowed three runs on five hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings as the Jays fell 4-3 in Chicago. And Candelaria made a second start at Yankee Stadium giving up three runs on six hits and a walk in 4 1/3 innings in a 3-2 loss. The defeat was the Jays second in a nine-game stretch which saw them lose eight times.
Cito Gaston’s Jays finished 86-76, two games behind the Boston Red Sox, eliminated on the final day of the 1990 season at Memorial Stadium.
And there was the time GM J.P. Ricciardi wanted to go to a six-man staff, but by the time he got downstairs at least two starters said no way, this is our free agent year, we are not giving up our starts.”
There is talk the Jays will get creative and skip a starter
Six-man Rotation
Name Days Rest IP H R ER BB K HR Pitches Outcome
Round one
Estrada, 4 W 7.0 4 1 1 0 7 98 Jays 3-1 W vs. Astros
Happ, 4 ND 6.0 4 1 1 1 6 89 Jays 4-1 W vs. Astros
Liriano, 4 ND 6.0 7 3 2 2 5 93 Jays 4-3 W vs. KC
Sanchez, 5 L 6.0 9 4 4 1 3 92 4-2 L vs. KC
Stroman, 5 L 5.0 7 3 3 2 4 95 7-1 L vs. KC
Dickey, 5 ND 4.1 6 4 4 3 3 89 Jays 7-5 W vs. Rays
Round two
Estrada, 5 L 5.0 7 3 2 4 6 113 9-2 L vs. Rays
Happ, 5 W 6.0 4 0 0 2 7 98 Jays 7-0 W vs. Rays
Liriano, 6 L 5.2 8 5 5 2 4 1 95 5-3 L to Astros
Sanchez 6, W 7.0 5 2 2 3 6 9 4-2 Jays W vs. Astros