A ninth-inning collapse Friday, a game in which right-hander Juan Nicasio took the baseball for the ninth and rather than secure the save was saddled with a 9-5 loss against the Chicago Cubs, didn’t convince manager Clint Hurdle to abandon his no-closer bullpen philosophy.
“So the fact we didn’t have success with it one time [means] we should kick it to the curb?” Hurdle said Saturday, his second day spent explaining why he used left-hander Felipe Rivero, his best reliever, against the lefty-loaded top of the Cubs lineup in the eighth inning.
“We’d still like to use Felipe in what we believe at the time is the most meaningful part of the game,” he continued.