Milwaukee Brewers satisfied with decision to start Shaun Marcum in Game 6 – MLB Update
Milwaukee Brewers’ manager Ron Roenicke’s decision to start Shaun Marcum in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series against St. Louis Cardinals backfired on him, but the manager remained adamant that the starter is not to be blamed for the loss.
Trailing 2-3 in the seven-game series, the Brewers opted to rest ace Yovani Gallardo for a potential tie-up with Chris Carpenter in Game 7, but the series did not go that far and Milwaukee crashed out of the postseason, after having dominated the National
League Central division.
The Redbirds had failed to rise above the Brewers in the regular season, but had their say in the NLCS, winning 4-2 and becoming only the tenth Wild Card team to qualify for the World Series.
Marcum lasted for just one inning in the all-important game and was unglued for four-runs by the aggressive Cardinals’ offence. The Cardinals went on to annihilate the Brewers 12-6, but Roenicke had no other option other than Marcum.
If Gallardo started Game 6 and the Brewers won, there would have been no dependable starter to counter Carpenter in Game 7. Furthermore, Marcum was authoritative in the regular season for the Brewers and it is just the postseason where his form faltered.
Advocating his decision, Roenicke said, "I know it was the right decision. I'm not second-guessing anything there. It was the right decision. With the options that we had, these guys pitched well all year. I still thought that they had good starts in them."
Marcum could have improved over the course of the game, but David Freese’s three-run homer in the first inning forced Roenicke to make the change. Chris Narveson relieved Marcum, but could not halt the Cardinals, who produced five runs over the next two
innings to virtually seal the game as early as the third inning.
Expressing disappointment after the game, Marcum voiced that the Cardinals deserve credit for their performance and there was nothing much that he could have done. Narveson asserted that he could have pitched better if he started the game, but Roenicke has
the final say.
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