Steve Davis: There's A New Closer In Town.... Maybe
It was pretty telling what happened on Wednesday night. The Orioles desperately needed a win versus the Rays, having dropped the first 2 games of the series. They headed to the 9th with a 2 run lead. Their closer had only pitched twice in the last week. And......Buck bypassed Jim Johnson.
Instead he played match-ups with O'Day and Matusz, and then called on Tommy Hunter not Jim Johnson.
So much for people thinking that Buck would be too stubborn. He needed a win, and he avoided using Jim Johnson. He did it because he knew what we all knew, that, right now, Jim Johnson is not the best option.
What does this mean moving forward? I am not sure. If a similar situation presents itself Friday, I'm going with Hunter. That doesn't mean everything will lay out that perfectly. However, if I was Buck, Hunter would be my guy...... at least for now.
