Bullpen bounces back

On Wednesday afternoon , the bullpen took the mound for the ninth inning holding a 9-3 lead over the Cincinnati Reds, with the first series sweep of the season standing before them. It was the 2,209th time in franchise history that they had led a game by six or more runs entering the ninth inning.

And moments later, it became the first time in franchise history that they lost such a game.

Those shenanigans were compounded on Thursday morning, when general manager Zack Minasian went on KNBR and authored one of the most strange and unnecessary defenses I've ever seen from an executive. Minasian was asked about the bullpen, and surely knew that no one would fault him for admitting that the 'pen — which ranks 19th in ERA, 19th in FIP, 25th in fWAR, and 26th in SIERA — is an issue that needs addressing. In fact, that level of transparency for something so obvious would have been, dare I say, refreshing.