AGonzalez11 Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 I'm obviously not going to complain about the job McKeon has done here, because it's one of the best turnaround stories ive ever seen. But one of the few decisions I haven't agreed on is leaving Looper in as closer over Urbina, and today it's quite obvious why. Looper always seems to struggle against teams with half decent lineups, he just isnt overpowering enough to keep throwing his fastball and get away with it. We're in a wildcard race, and if we do make the playoffs, you're going to face lineups that will sit on his fastball like the Braves did today. Urbina, on the other hand, has a great fastball, but also has two other great pitches(change/slider) that make it that much harder for any team to hit him. He cruised through the 8th like nothing. I understood why he didn't give Urbina the job right off the bat, i mean, Looper had done a respectable job all year long...But it's quite obvious Urbina is the much better pitcher and has EARNED The honor to close games. Time to step up Jack, The lat thing we need is Looper blowing another huge game vs the Phillies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramp Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 tell me... what did Looper do Friday and Saturday night vs this same Braves lineup? Urbina is doing great as a setup guy.... WHY CHANGE WHATS WORKING? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mave Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 because Ramp, it's um time to "step up" hahaha right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossInfoMan Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 Yeah, our 64 wins over the last 100 games shows how badly our bullpen has been used. give me a break. we dont have have gagne, we dont have smoltz, looper is not perfect, but ill take him day in and day out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJBurnett34 Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 Jack should of taken out looper earlier. He knows that loop has a tendency of blowing games with runners on. He could of brought in Bump or Tejera earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest marlins02 Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 we were so damn close to going up to philly up by 2.5 games. Looper shouldve been taken out earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Card Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 Honestly, I think the loss may have been a blessing. If we had won otday, it would have been an 8 game winning streak. Going into Philly with that streak and trying to sweep them would be too much pressure. Now there is no streak to keep, and they can go in and say, let's start a new win streak here. You know what I'm trying to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flasportsfan88 Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 hey nice signature gonzalez!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest marlins02 Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 Honestly, I think the loss may have been a blessing. If we had won otday, it would have been an 8 game winning streak. Going into Philly with that streak and trying to sweep them would be too much pressure. Now there is no streak to keep, and they can go in and say, let's start a new win streak here. You know what I'm trying to say. dude its September with 2 weeks left, if you cant handle the pressure than just pack your stuff up and go home because imagine the pressure that would be felt in October. every game could be considered a must have right now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jack1 Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 First of all, Looper shouldn't have been used last night. Second... Why, after the score became tied, didn't Jack take out Looper for someone else? For goodness sakes...you have to take on the Phillies in two days. I really believe that although Looper got the loss, it was Jack McKeon who lost this game. Senility must set in with him every few weeks. Remember about a month ago he left in Bump even though it was clear he didn't have it and Bump gave up 5 runs before Jack took him out. We were way ahead in that game but hell...why run up a guys ERA when you have all those other guys in the bullpen. I remember reading a few days later that Bump had been sick. Jack looked like he was conceding the game to the Braves. That just ticked me off!! He's a great manager but sometimes the way he handles the pitching staff is baffling. With the game tied going into the ninth...we could have had a good chance to win that game! :banghead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Card Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 dude its September with 2 weeks left, if you cant handle the pressure than just pack your stuff up and go home because imagine the pressure that would be felt in October. every game could be considered a must have right now Even if we're in a wild card race, you can't expect to sweep the best team in the game. Even a series win is enough for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest marlins02 Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 i agree that Loop shouldve been taken out as soon as it was tied. damn the bases got loaded with no outs, and than they tie with a long fly to deep left. he obviously didnt have it today and should've been taken out quick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest marlins02 Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 Even if we're in a wild card race, you can't expect to sweep the best team in the game. Even a series win is enough for me. i know that expecting to sweep the team with the best record in the NL is a lot to ask. but is holding on to a one run lead to much to ask for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arnie1941 Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 i agree that Loop shouldve been taken out as soon as it was tied. damn the bases got loaded with no outs, and than they tie with a long fly to deep left. he obviously didnt have it today and should've been taken out quick I agree. And Urbina was so strong in the eighth... we should have stayed with him. (Glad this thread is criticising McKeon's judgment and not Looper. It is precarious to criticize Looper on this site.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miami15 Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 That was a game we should have won! Hopefully we can win a game or two in the Vet, or we're in deep s***! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMLinkinPark Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 I think Urbina should have stayed on... I mean he did walk in his 1st atbat this season :thumbup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGonzalez11 Posted September 14, 2003 Author Share Posted September 14, 2003 tell me... what did Looper do Friday and Saturday night vs this same Braves lineup? Urbina is doing great as a setup guy.... WHY CHANGE WHATS WORKING? Tell me... How much pressure did Looper have in last nights game? Protecting those 5 run leads are real tough. And the whole point of having a "closer" Is to have a guy who can consistently shut down the 9th inning...are you trying to say you've be happy with a guy who converted 2/3'rds of his chances? I'm not trying to take shots at Looper because he HAS pitched pretty well all year long,but the fact remains that Ugeth Urbina is just a flat out better pitcher and if you try to say other wise you're just insane. If Looper came in the 8th and was obviously not on(like today) McKeon could just pull Looper after the first two hits and let Urbina pitch two innings. Urbina isnt as prone as looper is to these big innings, and his 1.15 ERA shows that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGonzalez11 Posted September 14, 2003 Author Share Posted September 14, 2003 Yeah, our 64 wins over the last 100 games shows how badly our bullpen has been used. give me a break. we dont have have gagne, we dont have smoltz, looper is not perfect, but ill take him day in and day out. Are you illiterate or just incompitent? IM NOT TAKING SHOTS AT LOOPER OR THE BULLPEN Urbina is without a doubt a better pitcher/closer than Braden Looper and i dont think anyone here is dumb enough to try and even argue that. IF we were in a game 7 in the playoffs, I'd feel alot more confident with Urbina out there protecting a one run lead than I would Looper. And BTW, not trying to comare the two in any way, But Urbina has a 1.15 ERA as a Marlin, lower than Gagne's. He's pitched as well as anyone and should be rewarded for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossInfoMan Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 Did you ever realize that other people may have a different opinion than you? Youve got a lot of nerve calling people names because they disagree with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g8trz2003 Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 You all are such smart baseball-heads! Thats so awesome that IN RETROSPECT, you can criticize McKeon. It is simply retarded to go around criticizing McKeon for every loss. He made a mistake. Big deal. He put Looper in there, and he had a bad outing. Big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGonzalez11 Posted September 14, 2003 Author Share Posted September 14, 2003 Did you ever realize that other people may have a different opinion than you? Youve got a lot of nerve calling people names because they disagree with you. your sarcastic remarks are just as insulting as any name, so don't try and point the finger at me as instigator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGonzalez11 Posted September 14, 2003 Author Share Posted September 14, 2003 Did you ever realize that other people may have a different opinion than you? Youve got a lot of nerve calling people names because they disagree with you. Not critizing McKeon at all, just hoping he notices who should and who shouldn't be pitching the 9th inning for us in the stretch run. Everyone who disagrees with me, answer me this: Who would you rather be pitching the 9th inning with a 3-2 lead in game 7 of the world series? Urbina or Looper? I don't dislike Looper, but it's just common sense that Urbina is a better pitcher and should be closing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossInfoMan Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 Even though I completely disagree with you, Im not going to argue with someone who resorts to name-calling at the first sight of another opinion. And if you cant take a little sarcasm, Im very sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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