“Why would teams who are eliminated care about how their starting pitching matches up with contenders?”
Wait a minute ... when LAA plays Oakland, they don’t care because the games mean nothing to them? Yet, when they play SEA, they care so much they want CJ Wilson to go 123 pitches. Do I got it now?
Some teams do not do that. They play their call ups vs the eliminated teams and use their A-Team vs. the contending teams. LAA hasn’t been making the playoffs lately, their players need the “playoff experience” and the Oakland and Texas series give them that opportunity. The only opportunity they are going to have. The O’s played the BoSox in 2011 as if they were playoff games. Supposedly helped them in ‘12 when they got there for real.
Besides, common sense. Why does the baseball world wanna watch Dice-K pitch for the METS against CINN this week when he could be bumped to the next day? I STAND BY MY THEORY.
A's are in anyway, if it meant keeping them out maybe they'd give a damn, keep a division rival out, but at this point seeding is all that at stake for the A's. Don't ask me why Wilson threw so many pitches, that was dumb managing for an eliminated team, I guess they were just trying to give him a chance to get the win. I wouldn't put unnecessary miles on my starter's arms at the end of a lost year.