Buck Showalter says Zack Britton was ‘healthy and available’

Many pitchers today believe they pitch differently in the ninth inning than in the eighth inning, or in save situations vs. non-save situations – and their raw numbers reflect this.

Hindsight is always 20-20, but Showalter made a mistake by holding a pitcher who allowed four earned runs all season back for a “save situation” that never existed.

“But in elimination games, orthodoxy should go out the window”.

Tillman should start on opening day against Toronto, but who knows?

The same goes for Showalter. Showalter has to bring in someone to close the game with Britton already spent, and whomever that person is blows the save and Toronto wins.

They managed one big swing in 11 innings Tuesday, leaving Showalter to keep rolling his magic bullpen dice until he finally crapped out.

BULLPEN SOLID: Britton was nothing short of outstanding, Brad Brach made the All-Star team and Darren O’Day was solid despite battling shoulder and hamstring injuries.

“I think theyre probably the top quick-strike offence in baseball with so many power threats in their lineup, ” Gibbons said.

Credit is due to the Blue Jays whom outlasted and persevered through a pitching duel turned chess match, but the Orioles did not help themselves by any means. Maybe Showalter or one of this coaches saw something during Britton’s warm-up that gave him pause?

“I’m as surprised as anybody Britton didn’t find his way into that game, ” Miller said. Showalter has never taken a team to the World Series. You don’t want to leave him on the shelf when you go into a gun fight.

“It’s not my call”.

Baltimore needs to figure out where they’re going because they’re starting to get some young players like first baseman/designated hitter Trey Mancini and catcher Chance Sisco ready to make an impact in the majors.

Showalter, of course, was testy during his postgame press conference.

According to Gregor Chisholm and Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com, Showalter said that Britton was fine.

Orioles closer Zach Britton’s absence stuck out like a sore thumb in Tuesday night’s American League Wild Card game, a game which the Orioles lost in walk-off fashion after failing to hand the ball to Britton for three consecutive innings in the ninth, 10th, and 11th.

“What generally happens in playoff games is a lot of the times youre facing some pretty good pitching so that kind of neutralizes that a little bit.

No doubt, a lot of Orioles fans cringed when Showalter went to Jimenez in the first place, because of all that has happened during his star-crossed Orioles’ career. It didn’t work out.

“We’ve got some guys that’ve been in it before and they have the knack of stepping up at the right time”.

“Sure, (using Britton) crosses your mind from about the sixth inning on”.

There was plenty of discussion before the game about Toronto’s decision to start Marcus Stroman over Francisco Liriano. Our pitchers pitched real well the whole game to hold that club to two runs at that point.

I feel like I’m living in bizarro world with the outcry from fans that Chris Tillman, the guy people were debating being an ace in baseball earlier this year, is getting the ball over a pitcher who has been bad for nearly three straight seasons in Ubaldo Jimenez.

Writer: “I’m sorry to harp on this…”

Showalter: “We can talk about it privately”. The managers who still don’t get that there are times you need a stopper like five minutes ago.