PHOENIX – Bruce Bochy is a puppet master when it comes to major league bullpens.
Long before he cemented his reputation with three World Series titles, he was considered one of the game’s finest when it came to the management of relievers and feel for late-inning matchups.
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This season, though, he’s as flummoxed as everyone else. You’ll find plenty of statistics that suggest the Giants are getting sturdy individual performances out of the bullpen. Yet only the Incendiary Reds™ have blown more leads in the sixth inning or later.
“We’ve got to tighten it up with this bullpen,” said Bochy, one day after his relievers coughed up a late lead for the 15th time this season in 6-5 loss to Arizona.