{"id":56005,"date":"2022-08-01T18:30:13","date_gmt":"2022-08-01T22:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=56005"},"modified":"2022-08-01T18:30:13","modified_gmt":"2022-08-01T22:30:13","slug":"mark-melancon-tie-games-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2022\/08\/01\/mark-melancon-tie-games-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Melancon Should Not Be Used in Tie Games. He Excels in All Other Situations."},"content":{"rendered":"

Mark Melancon<\/strong> Should Not Be Used in Tie Games<\/h2>\n

Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> starter Merrill Kelly had put up a valiant effort, but so did his counterpart. When the tie game headed into the ninth, closer Mark Melancon entered the game in a non-closer situation. It did not go well. The Diamondbacks fell into an insurmountable hole and lost the game.<\/p>\n

This was May 11<\/a> against the Miami Marlins<\/a>. After the game, this reporter \u2014 based solely on observations and without looking at any stats \u2014 spoke up in the postgame press conference with manager Torey Lovullo. \u201cIt seems that Mark pitches better with a lead than in a tie game,\u201d he observed. \u201cDo you have any theories on that one?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Lovullo replied. \u201cI\u2019ve thought about that. I know that he’s closed out some games and we’ve won games and in tie games, he hasn’t managed it as well. He’s gotten within one out, a couple of times, from getting through the inning. We\u2019ve got to remember that. If we’re crisp and turned a double play on the Sanchez ball, we’re not even having this conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lovullo added, \u201cThere’s no explanation for me. He’s a competitor, and he’s gonna go out there and get it done. I’ll take the bet each night, if we get a runner on and he’s got two outs, two strikes, he’s got two outs on that hitter to get out of the inning. I’ll take my chances on those odds. He’s gonna find a way to get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Follow-up<\/h4>\n

Another reporter \u2014 one who\u2019s covered baseball since the 70s \u2014 followed up. \u201cWhether it\u2019s Trevor Hoffman or Mariano Rivera, it doesn’t matter how good the closer you are. You put them in a tie situation, and psychologically, it\u2019s a completely different thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lovullo replied, \u201cYeah, it\u2019s a bit of a grind. I’ve had conversations with him, though. He’s prepared for that. But yeah, I know that they want the save. They hunt the save. That\u2019s what closers do.\u201d<\/p>\n

The veteran replied, \u201cIt\u2019s a mentality thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lovullo countered, \u201cHe’s a team player. That\u2019s his inning in that situation, and he knows it.\u201d<\/p>\n

D\u00e9j\u00e0 Vu<\/h3>\n

Three days later, Lovullo took the bet again. One night after Melancon protected a one-run lead<\/a> with an 11-pitch, 1-2-3 save, he entered a tie game against the Chicago Cubs<\/a>. A single sandwiched between two walks loaded the bases for Yan Gomes, whose single gave the Cubs a 2\u20131 lead. Melancon left the game without recording an out. Two of his bequeathed runners also scored, giving the Cubs a 4\u20131 lead. The Diamondbacks scored one in the bottom of the ninth, making the final score<\/a> 4\u20132.<\/p>\n

As Melancon was warming up, this reporter looked at his splits. At the time, Melancon\u2019s opponent batting average with the lead was .237. In tie games, it was .500. He mentioned it to the veteran reporter, who was sitting nearby. The veteran said he\u2019d ask about it.<\/p>\n

Postgame<\/h4>\n

After the game, the veteran did exactly that. He started by pointing out that this was the third time Melancon had pitched in four nights. Lovullo said, \u201cWe discussed it and felt very strongly that he was going to go out and be able to execute. And he said he was ready to go. We all talked about it several times before in the game, and the decision was made that he was going to be able to go out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The veteran asked his next question. \u201cWe talked about it a little bit the other day about the tie game, lead, and stuff. You must know his batting average in tie games against him is .500. With a lead, it’s .237. He\u2019s saved seven out of eight games. So there’s obviously a difference here. What he’s doing in that situation?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lovullo responded, \u201cFor sure. We picked up on that. And the bottom line is, you got to execute at a higher level, no matter what. If it’s a tie game or not, he’s got to command the cutter. I know that it was a eight- or nine-pitch at-bat from Contreras, who did a great job of getting on, but he’s got to execute a little bit better with command of his cutter. And that’s what we’re gonna talk to him about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Situational Splits<\/h3>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>