Ozzie Guillen supports Heath Bell and believes other relievers equally responsible for defeat-MLB
A high scoring game against the Milwaukee Brewers follows a spate of criticism by the Miami Marlins' manager Ozzie Guillen. Since the Marlins lost after coming so close to winning, the manager is disheartened. He hit out at the relievers who failed to plug
the leakage of runs.
While he took a swipe at the relievers, he commented that it will be unfair to blame Heath Bell wholly for the loss.
As soon as match concluded, a flood of criticism came, terming Bell responsible for the failure. Bell threw the tenth and conceded a two-run homer, allowing Brewers to reclaim the lead which the Marlins had just achieved in the top of the same inning.
This apparently made Bell the most conspicuous scapegoat and hence worthy of bearing the brunt of the fans’ lash-out.
In addition to this, the fact Bell has been poor on the mound in the season encouraged critics to denounce him more.
Meanwhile, Guillen comes to the rescue of Bell. He stated that conclusions based on superficial evidence are not acceptable as he maintained that the rest of the relievers deserve to be denounced as much.
Furthermore, he was deeply hurt by the defeat. He was happy though by the resilience the players showed, getting outcome of the game going against them was never desired.
"It hurts, obviously it hurts. You take the win away and have a punch right in your stomach. We fought, we fought with a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of energy even when we were down. But at the end of the day, it's not how much we fight. Win the fight --
that's more important. They pay you to win the fight, not fight good," Guillen repented.
With regards to Bell, Guillen still believes that he is one of the most important relievers in the bullpen.
It is true that Bell wasted a number of saving opportunities. However, there are many games which saw him blocking runs as well.
Heath was taken by the Marlins as part of their off-season spending spree. Along with other additions to the roster, he was considered to be another player who will strengthen them in the season.
One will hope, confidence that Guillen has shown in Bell will help him come out improved next time.
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