Post-Game 2 Thread: Mattingly And Choices

PADRES 7, DODGERS 3

When you make three errors in the game, including two late in the game (Jimmy Rollins' second error of the game in the seventh, allowing the Padres to tie the game; Yasmani Grandal in the ninth, allowing the Padres to take the lead), you're probably going to lose the game anyway. But what's striking about tonight's debacle against the Padres is, as Don Mattingly opts not to ride his starting pitchers until their arms fall off each game, what does that mean for our late-game chances?

Yesterday, Mattingly pulled Clayton Kershaw after six innings and made some decent bullpen choices, allowing Rollins to win the game with his eighth-inning three-run HR. Tonight, Mattingly's bullpen choices were frequent, and unfortunately, usually pretty bad. Pedro Baez relieved Zack Greinke in the seventh, and got two Ks but allowed a single. So Mattingly went with Paco Rodriguez, who promptly gave up a single. So Mattingly went with Yimi Garcia, who got snakebit by Rollins' error to have the Padres tie the game.

Yimi Garcia kept going in the eighth inning and had men at the corners with two outs. Mattingly chose to go with J.P. Howell, who promptly gave up a single and gave up the lead. Another bad decision.

Finally, in the ninth inning, Mattingly went with Chris Hatcher, who gave up three runs; and then Juan Nicasio, who gave up a fourth run. Dodgers go down 7-3 and the game is effectively over.

Six bullpen choices, with each of them giving up at least one hit (Greinke only gave up two hits in his six-inning stretch). Do we want Don Mattingly to be making these types of choices? Or are all of the possible bullpen choices just bad options in the first place? (And who in the bullpen is "milk," anyway?)

Adrian Gonzalez went 3-for-4 with a HR and a double and 2 RBI. So at least that choice is a good one.

And, the Giants lost (Vogelsong got shelled).