BALTIMORE – The concept of abandoning defined bullpen roles and instead using relievers based on situation and matchup makes a lot of sense. Sometimes a game is won or lost in the fifth or sixth inning, rather than the eighth or ninth, and a manager might save his best arm for a spot that doesn’t come up.
Let your top relievers get key outs in high leverage spots, the thinking goes, regardless of the inning.
In practice however, as the Toronto Blue Jays can attest from experience this season, such an approach doesn’t necessarily match up with the theory, which discounts the impact unpredictability generally creates within the human element.
Consider that in the 13 games since moving to defined roles in the bullpen, manager John Gibbons’ relievers have pitched to a 2.45 ERA in 13 games, allowing just 13 runs, 12 earned, on 28 hits and 16 walks in 44 innings. In the 20 games prior, the ERA was 4.45 in 64.2 innings, with 36 runs, 32 earned, on 60 hits and 26 walks.
Over that span there have been personnel changes and adjustments to workload distribution, but the improved structure in the bullpen has been pivotal in the transformation.
"Yeah, absolutely," says set-up man Aaron Loup, now chiefly handling the seventh or eighth inning. "For me personally, I didn’t mind necessarily coming into the game whenever, whether it be early in the game, third inning, fourth inning, or late in the game. But knowing that you’re going to be used eighth inning, seventh inning later in a close ball game as opposed to being on your toes at all times, it takes a little pressure off, makes it a little easier."
One of the ways defined roles makes it easier is by keeping relievers from constantly wondering when they might end up in a game. Life in the bullpen already comes with enough uncertainty, and Loup says lots of "mental energy" can be expended without a reliable framework.
Pitching coach Pete Walker agrees with that, explaining that after some "trial and error" the Blue Jays have found more of an order for how to use their relievers, adding that once roles are set bullpen performance often falls into place.
"There’s a definite comfort zone," he says. "I’ve been down there and been in some bullpens and I know that when guys know when they’re going to pitch it eases your mind. You’re not apprehensive, you’re not wondering when you’re going to be used, you have a good feel for the game and you see how we’re using guys. Everybody falls into a comfort zone, which is important. As a starter you know you get the ball every fifth day, as a reliever, when the bullpen is struggling usually guys are wondering when they’re going to pitch and how they’re going to be used. Right now, we’re in a better place."
Still, that doesn’t dispute the argument for using relievers to situation and matchup, since there are times when if you don’t get the outs in the seventh or eighth innings, the outs in the ninth won’t matter. In an ideal world, bullpens shouldn’t work backwards from closer in the ninth because there’s no guarantee that’s when the best hitters or most difficult situations come up.
"It’s definitely a valid point," says Loup. "I’ve talked to Gibby and the reason he’s used me at a certain point in a game, he feels like the game is teeter-tottering and if we can get out of this jam and we can keep the game close and swing the momentum in our direction, whereas it might get out of hand right there, and we end up losing the ballgame in the fourth or fifth inning. For me, I didn’t mind because I like to pitch whenever I can get into the game, keep the game close and help out as much as I can, but definitely now having the more defined roles makes for a little less mental stress."
There are routines to consider as well, as people in general, athletes in particular, tend to be creatures of habit. Relievers need time for physical and mental preparation – something bullpen life already limits significantly – and there’s no need to make the process more difficult.
"Some guys they’ll get down there at a certain point and start to stretch and move around," says Loup. "For me it was a matter of no matter when the phone rang, fourth inning or late in the eighth, I was on my toes expecting it to be me. A lot of times I’d be in the game third inning, fourth inning, the next night I’d be in the eighth inning. Taking that little added pressure off that when the phone rings in the fourth or fifth I can go ‘OK, it shouldn’t be me,’ I can relax a little bit. Once we get later, sixth, seventh, eighth I can more dial it in and get ready to go."
The recent hot stretch has lifted the Blue Jays bullpen from near the bottom in all pitching categories up to ninth in ERA at 3.64.
Helping matters have been the personnel changes that brought up Jeff Francis and Steve Delabar from triple-A Buffalo, while Ryan Tepera looked strong in his big-league debut Sunday versus Boston. Loup and Roberto Osuna are helping to set up closer Brett Cecil, with Liam Hendriks providing a middle innings bridge, creating a wider distribution of the workload compared to earlier in the season, when Loup, Osuna and the recently demoted Miguel Castro were doing most of the heavy lifting.
"Having guys like a Francis you can count on to be that long relief guy, then having a guy like Hendriks who can give you multiple innings, getting Delabar back is going to be huge, someone Gibby is familiar with that he knows he can count on, he knows what he’s going to get when he gets out there," says Loup. "Having those guys to bridge the gap from the fifth, sixth to the late innings helps out a lot."