Padres swept the Cubs and face the Brewers Saturday — is this bullpen actually sustainable?
Okay I'm still pretty new to baseball playoffs (only started really watching this year), so help me out. The Padres just swept the Cubs — bullpen threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings in Game 2 and Gavin Sheets hit the 2-run homer — and now they face the Brewers, who had the best record in baseball, starting Saturday in Milwaukee. Is winning like this, leaning on the bullpen, a real strategy that works in the NLDS? Or is Milwaukee's lineup going to expose it over a longer series? Trying to figure out if I should get excited or brace myself.
1 answer
- Brace yourself
Brace yourself. Bullpen games work in a short series when the arms are fresh, but that 5 2/3 scoreless outing cost pitches that don't come back the next day. Milwaukee won the most games in baseball — their lineup sees relievers twice in a series and the second time around is a different animal. The Padres' whole season was built on riding the bullpen, and that's exactly the kind of thing that collapses by Game 4 or 5. Enjoy the sweep, but don't bet the rent on a bullpen carrying a full series against the best team in the league.