Why It Was Totally Correct for Pat Murphy to Fire Tobias Myers Sunday
Over the weekend, the Brewers suffered their second straight series loss, falling short of the sub-.500 Nationals two out of three times. The manager’s decision to pitch throughout the game received criticism, however upon closer examination of his reasoning, it becomes evident that he made the correct option.
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When a manager pulls a starting pitcher who seems to be dominating while the game is still close and their pitch count is still low, it never looks good. Pat Murphy did just that on Sunday, and he immediately blew up with a three-run home run after hitting Tobias Myers after five innings pitched and sixty-four pitches. Washington Nationals game
Naturally, one would wonder: what was the skipper thinking?
Let’s start by hearing him speak for himself. According to Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel beat reporter Curt Hogg, they are:
Murphy’s assessment of his own relieving corps isn’t entirely accurate, as some fans quickly pointed out. Although it has performed admirably this year,
it is currently going through a phase of attrition and regression due to a high turnover rate and a dearth of arms who feel like they are playing at their best. They are 10th in MLB in reliever ERA over the past 30 days, but they rank 23rd in reliever FIP and 17th in strikeout rate (including strikeout rate-minus-walk rate).
