If Colon enters the game to play 3rd any time before the 9th or 10th inning (due to using a pinch hitter for Moose), I'll be pissed.

That has disaster written all over it. Colon is not ready to play 3rd base...especially not tonight.

My buddy, who is a Twins fan, texted me last night..."Butler and Gordon's line against Lester.....OUCH!"

Not good. But it's only one game. Baseball is crazy. Anything can happen on any given night.

The boys in blue will show up tonight.

good luck tonight guys. 29 yrs is a long time. u guys deserve a win.

**** OFF/that's from Dartgod

If Shields, let's say, labors and only goes 5 tonight and say the game is 3-3 at that point...

I go Ventura for the 6th and maybe into the 7th if he's dialed in and beasting it 101+

Then Herrera until he gives up ANY baserunners until the 8th

then I pitch Wade the 8th...if after the 8th, we're still tied...I bring Wade out for the 9th

Holland gets 10 and 11

and then we gotta go Guthrie 12 and 13 (and if at any time there is a runner at 3rd with less than 2 outs we get Finnegan in there)

after 13...well then ****

if Ventura stretches out and goes 6th and 7th...

then I adjust and pitch Herrera until he gives up ANY baserunners in the 8th or even 9th...I pitch him until he gives up a BB or a hit...

then use both Wade and Holland 2 a piece tonight

again, this is all IF necessary...

and then after that 12 innings or so...

I basically just turn the game over to Guthrie and tell him...it's all you baby

In a tied game, even in the 7th inning, Ventura is my first guy out of the pen.

If we're up by 1

Herrera 7
Davis 8
Holland 9

and if we lose, we lose...but no reason to pitch Shields more than 6 tonight if we're up by only 1 unless the A's have 0 runs

even then...SUPER short leash

****. No.

Best reliever at biggest moment. Have to be ready to get guys like Davis and Holland hot at a moment's notice.

The game can absolutely be lost in the 5th, and keeping your topic two weapons for innings that may or may not matter is absurdity.

I swear, I'm hopeful that I don't have to melt the **** down on Yost tonight if he cannot be effective with his management of the pen.

We need to strike first so our hitters don't start pressing.

although, Shields is the one guy I trust this situation isn't too big for...

He hasn't had great postseason success in the past...

but you also don't know how any of our guys in the pen are going to react with the weight of the world on their shoulders

SUPER short leash.

Two runners on in the first with no outs...someone is getting hot. Not saying pull, necessarily, but I am for ****ing damn sure saying someone is hot.

I will say that

with Ventura

he represents a guy who would potentially be one of the top 5 closers in the league..

if he is dialing it up 99 as a starter...

he's gonna hit 102 as a reliever

good ****ing luck hitting 102

Longest hour ever

Brandon Moss is like Moose against lefties...terrible. We should keep Finnegan as our get Moss out guy...

on the flip side...

Josh Donaldson anally rapes lefties...

The A's are the one team that has an entire bench of platoon guys so they are LOOGY proof.

Which is good for us...

because we'll have 4 guys in the pen tonight (Ventura/Herrera/Davis/Holland) who are platoon proof...they have great splits against both lefties and righties.