It's not the bullpen, it's the offense. Why are managers so protective of their 'pen?

Things were looking pretty for the Mets and Cardinals last night. Until the bullpen came in. Both New York and St. Louis were playing immensely important home games last night against division foes Philadelphia and Milwaukee in two series that have major ramifications for both teams. Heading into last night's showdowns, the Mets and Phillies were tied for first place in the NL East, while the Cards and Brewers were trying to catch the division-leading Cubs.

At Shea Stadium, Johan Santana was dealing, throwing eight spectacular innings and leaving with a comfortable three run lead, only to see three relievers collectively give up six runs in the ninth. This gave Philly the best win of their season, while the Mets were left wondering what in the world went wrong. Sure, closer Billy Wagner was not available, but that's no excuse for that type of embarrassing implosion. After the game, skipper Jerry Manuel brushed off the loss in a nonchalant manner, falling back on that Billy Wagner excuse.

At Busch Stadium, the Cardinals carried a three-zilch advantage into the seventh. Their bullpen went on to surrender four runs in the final three frames. The bullpen lost the game for St. Louis for the second night in a row. So when Tony LaRussa addressed the press following this crushing defeat, you'd think he would be a little disappointed in his bullpen's performance. But this was not the case. LaRussa went all Mike Gundy on the media, angrily denying the idea that the bullpen deserves any blame. LaRussa claimed that the offense should have scored more runs. Granted, six runs in two games isn't staggering offensive production, but it is not awful either. The bottom line is this: When you hand the ball over to the 'pen with a three run lead late in the ballgame, it is their job to get it done. And when the bullpen blows a three run lead, it is their fault.

So why are so many managers afraid to publicly criticize their bullpen, while lashing out at the offense is a common practice? LaRussa and Manuel aren't the only ones to display this type of behavior. I can't tell you how many times I have heard a manager say something along the lines of, "Well, we did have a four run lead, but, you know, we just did not score enough runs". Huh??? Now I'm not saying that LaRussa or Manuel should have thrown the 'pen under the bus; this would lead to tension in the clubhouse. But they should not shy away from speaking frankly about the bullpen. It would be extremely refreshing to see a manager step up to the podium after their team let a late lead slip away and say, "My bullpen was very disappointing. Their a talented bunch of guys, but they did not get the job done tonight". But such speak seems to be forbidden. Everyone seems to follow the same motto: Whenever in doubt, just blame the hitters.