Has O'Sullivan earned the benefit of the doubt?

#1GreenwellFan

#1GreenwellFan

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In no way do I expect him to be the answer to our problems or to be a Steven Wright like surprise because we know full well what O'Sullivan is, but at this point, I think he's done enough to be given the opportunity to show on the mound that he does or does not have what it takes to stay in this rotation. Both of his starts have been more than you could hope for from you No. 5 guy and much more than I dare to hope for from Buchholz. Giving him a shot may backfire but is it really going to hurt more than any other option if he fails? Isn't the possibility that he is a really good No. 5 starter worth that small risk?
 
DeadlySplitter

DeadlySplitter

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I was at his Houston start. Wholly unimpressive.

Yesterday was mostly luck, and Farrell did not want him to stick around to make a 7-0 game close (of course Barnes & Taz did that anyways).

Can he consistently do 5-6 IP of 3-4 ER ball? Maybe. It really depends on his rate of blowing up. FWIW I read that they are considering SOS over Buch for the next #5 start.
 
#1GreenwellFan

#1GreenwellFan

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I saw that right after I posted this. Probably should have read some news before starting a thread. Anyway, yeah, O'Sullivan is a career 6+ Era guy and that hasn't changed. I guess it's more the situation making me feel like he deserves a spot. No part of me hopes Buchholz get the start instead of O'Sullivan.
 
Red(s)HawksFan

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They don't necessarily need a fifth starter again until after the All Star break thanks to the off-day Thursday, which might make O'Sullivan's spot on the 25-man roster tenuous since he could be optioned out for another reliever or even a bench player (Hanigan is in the clubhouse today).

I guess the question then becomes which guy gets the fifth starter treatment and doesn't make a start this week, Buchholz or O'Sullivan?
 
Savin Hillbilly

Savin Hillbilly

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The wrong side of the bridge....
I'm not sure what you're looking at. He's made three starts now--one bad, one awful, one OK. I don't think he's "earned" anything, not even a roster spot, but they are so short on good options that he may very well be the best choice to send out there one more time before the inevitable Benintendi-for-Teheran trade.
 
DennyDoyle'sBoil

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He seems to turn into a pumpkin after 70 pitches. Looking at Bref game logs and splits tells a pretty consistent story. Third time through, he's not effective. He has a plus 8 career ERA in the fifth and sixth inning and rarely gets through the sixth let alone into the seventh.

If the comparison is Clay, it's not much of a difference, but O'Sullivan gives up pretty much the same number of runs and is virtually guaranteed to put components of the bullpen out of commission for the next game.
 
simplicio

simplicio

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Yeah, I'm on board. He looks pretty average, and he seems to lose it around 70-80 pitches in, which Farrell appears to recognize given the quick hook last night. So while I wish he could go longer and spare the bullpen, I'm absolutely behind having a fifth starter who doesn't lose the game for us in the first, let alone one who can go five scoreless. Maybe the league will adjust and kill him after a few starts, but at this point I see no reason to start 2016 Buchholz over him.
 
Fishy1

Fishy1

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I would rather have Aaron Wilkerson and it's not even close. O'Sullivan has been fine in AAA but his stuff hasn't even gotten him a K rate over 7 at AAA. That just won't play at the major league level.

If we're going with an internal choice make it the guy with the the 5/1 K/BB ratio and the K/9 over 9 every time.
 
OptimusPapi

OptimusPapi

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Crazy idea, but if he turns into a pumpkin after seventy pitches, why not try him in the bullpen?
 
simplicio

simplicio

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OptimusPapi said:
Crazy idea, but if he turns into a pumpkin after seventy pitches, why not try him in the bullpen?
Click to expand...
Because he's currently our 4th best starter and that's more valuable than a bullpen long man. Long term maybe there's something to that though.
 
Toe Nash

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Yeah, you have to give Wilkerson a shot. SOS isn't doing anything different from the non-MLBer her has been his whole career; Wilkerson at least looks pretty promising against AAA guys.

SOS allows lots of balls in play and they are far too often hit hard. He's playing with fire every game.
 
Rasputin

Rasputin

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DennyDoyle'sBoil said:
He seems to turn into a pumpkin after 70 pitches. Looking at Bref game logs and splits tells a pretty consistent story. Third time through, he's not effective. He has a plus 8 career ERA in the fifth and sixth inning and rarely gets through the sixth let alone into the seventh.

If the comparison is Clay, it's not much of a difference, but O'Sullivan gives up pretty much the same number of runs and is virtually guaranteed to put components of the bullpen out of commission for the next game.
Click to expand...
Maybe we should just plan on piggy backing Buchholz and O'Sullivan a few times around.
 
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