As a starter he has been terrible in the first inning. That will not work coming out of the pen.
Although I
generally understand some of the nuances of being a starter vs. reliever, my level of understanding is not such that I can look at a pitchers performances and say that he'd be an effective reliever or he'd suck ass.
Backe, as a starting pitcher, comes in to a game with a plan (I'd presume anyway) to pitch through a lineup 3 times. Although I'm not claiming any
actual knowledge on the subject, I'd imagine this means that he's not coming in and blowing through his entire repertoire of pitches the first time (or two) through the lineup. However, the goal of a reliever is often to come in and get hitters out for an inning, maybe two - there is no 'worrying' about trying to be able to change things up for those same hitters later.
Thus my question (not out of
pure ignorance, though likely close) is whether or not having to come in and face a handful of batters in an important situation would bring out the 'good pitcher' in Backe, or are we likely to observe more and the same.
You're correct, based upon his 1st inning numbers that'd seem to be a VERY stupid idea. However, if the situation is changed and he is coming in as a reliever, does that make any difference? I've no idea and am curious.
