Stats of the Day: Ranting at Ned Yost

I'm starting off the week with a rant. There are plenty of topics this week to write about, like the Phillies' mishandling of Jimmy Rollins' injury situation, but I'm going to talk about an even dumber move than that: Pitching a reliever with a reconstructed elbow four days in a row.

Milwaukee	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Gagne (BS, 3)(L, 1-1)	0.0	2	3	3	1	0	2	8.22

Say what you want about Eric Gagne's three blown saves this year, but he had just come off of pitching three consecutive days, putting up scoreless outings in each appearance. Gagne had been cruising along and the Brewers were actually unbeaten in every game he appeared in before Sunday.

That was until Ned Yost stepped in. While the Brewers' bullpen isn't full of great options, both Guillermo Mota and Salomon Torres have been pitching well enough to warrant a save chance in the event of a fatigued Gagne. Instead, Yost chose to march Gagne out to the firing squad. On Sunday Gagne's fastball topped out at 91 mph, down from his usual velocity this year of 94 to 95 mph. He was obviously fatigued and quickly served up two homers.

One positive note to take from this outing is that Yost may have so little trust in the rest of his bullpen that Gagne is not losing this job anytime soon. The negative is that if Yost has no conscience of Gagne's past health issues then he may be visiting the trainer's table again this season.

In preparing this blog I tried looking into other good closer's stats when pitching for the fourth day in a row. The funny thing is, I couldn't find them. Very few managers send their guys out without a break and it is something to worry about if Yost hasn't already learned his lesson. Keep an eye on his usage of Gagne for warnings signs he may end up breaking down this year.

Oakland	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Crosby, SS	4	1	3	1	1	1	0	.313

Former rookie of the year in 2004 and Peter Gammons' pick for the 2006 AL MVP, Bobby Crosby has had an up-and-down career filled with injuries. Currently he is batting .313/.368/.475 with excellent contact and walk rates. It appears Crosby is both seeing and hitting the ball very well.

Crosby hasn't shown enough consistency or even health in the past to determine if this is something he can keep up, but scouts have always been high on his skills and potential. There just aren't many stats to go on with him being unable to reach 100 games played in any year after 2004. Still, I believe he is worth a pickup right now in just about any league if you are in need of a SS or MI. He appears to be healthy and if he can stay that way all year he could be a real surprise.