[TomVeal]

Originally Posted by actionjackson

I don't think many teams trust their bullpens this year, and I think it's because bullpen arms have been ridden too hard recently. Historically, there has been a wide margin between relievers (with relievers being much better than starters) and starters in run prevention across the league. This year, that gap has vanished...

2019 SP: 4.54 ERA, 4.51 FIP, 4.48 xFIP
2019 RP: 4.46 ERA, 4.51 FIP, 4.54 xFIP

That's pretty much the same, when historically relievers have had about a 30-40 point edge on starters. I think relievers are just plain worn out with the bullpenning craze of the last five years or so. People forget in this rush to cash in on the latest fad that having starters pitch into the seventh inning or later on a regular basis is probably the best thing for a bullpen's effectiveness. It keeps them fresh, and (I think) better able to perform at an optimum level.

Not saying bullpenning doesn't have it's place in the modern game. I would say it's much more effective in the postseason because of all the offdays, but I think it's madness if used too often in the marathon 162-game regular season. I'm open to different opinions on this, but I don't think it's a coincidence that relative general effectiveness between starters and relievers has basically equalized with the rise in RP innings.

Game 2 of the World Series definitely supports the view that relief pitching has become unreliable. "Put not your trust in bullpens, arms of tin, in whom there is no salvation."