Pulling his top two starting pitchers, Ervin Santana and Jered Weaver, from the final two games of the season was a bush league move by Angels manager Mike Scioscia.
It's a total lack of respect for the game, and essentially is handing the Texas Rangers a decided edge in the first round of the playoffs over the Tigers. The Rangers and Tigers are fighting for the home field edge in the ALDS, with the Tigers a game behind entering today's final night of the season. The Tigers hold the tiebreaker, having beaten the Rangers more head-to-head this season.
Scioscia's reason: Innings pitched by Santana and Weaver.
Come on.
The numbers aren't that high. They don't put them in some kind of danger category, especially considering they don't have to work in the postseason. It just doesn't wash.
If every manager pulled this stunt, it would be jumping the shark on the Major League Baseball product. What if you were an Angels fans who bought tickets to see Weaver pitch tonight? How can Scioscia justify having such a bearing on the postseason race? How can he not give Weaver a chance to win the ERA title? He has a 2.41 ERA compared to 2.40 for Detroit's Justin Verlander.
Some will say it is to get back at the Tigers for what happened this season when the two clubs played a heated game that involved Weaver being ejected. Yet, that doesn't make sense because the Rangers are the Angels' biggest division rival.
Scioscia just wasn't thinking, especially about the integrity of the game, which he just compromised.